Angel of Tennis
by Amatsu Kurosaki
Summary: Ryoma said monotonously, "You. Me. One game. To the end."...Ryoma's twin readjusted his cap down more firmly...Ryoma bounced the tennis ball, he was serving right-handed... Crossover. Rated T. Some pairings. Read prologue for full summary.
1. Prolouge: Mysterious New Player

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OC's and the plot. Please review.

Prologue

Mysterious New Player

Rumors of strong, infamous, _and_ mysterious tennis player have been spreading news like wildfire in Tokyo, and soon, reached the ears of many other prefectures. Hints of the appearance of the unknown tennis player were common yet in a irregular pattern. The description of the hit-and-run tennis player were similar of Echizen Ryoma, but this person was slightly different and wasn't cocky enough like Ryoma to hide their identity. Most people suspected this tennis wanderer was a boy. The same thing was heard again about the kid, a cap with a star on it, a blue tee with a white collar, black shorts, and durable tennis sneakers. This player was right-handed with a blue racket. Some onlookers present during the infamous player's matches could not see the person face for they had the cap so low and always appeared around late afternoon and disappeared at sundown. The streams of light making shadows to the player's face. Then the kid was gone just like that after beating a number of local tennis players. The school tennis teams all around Japan are concerned and drawn to this issue. From the Seigaku tennis team, Inui, and his childhood friend from Rikkaidai tennis team, Yanagi, were doing research and providing ongoing yet little information about the strange tennis player. More questions and thoughts surmised. Who was this new tennis player? A recruit from a different school or club? Perhaps a danger to the tennis clubs' reputation? Who was this invincible-like person?

* * *

><p>Prologue's are annoying, aren't they? I'll post chapter one when I'm satisfied with it. Hopefully you won't think my story if to mashed up. I came up with the idea a long time ago but didn't really write the chapters 'til now.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1: Echizen Ryoma's Twin

**Disclaimer: Here's the next chapter. I don't own anything but my OC's and the plot. Please review.**

Chapter 1

Echizen Ryoma's Twin

Ryoma and Momo were walking laundingly around in the public streets after eating at a local burger restaurant. Today was a Sunday, so they had no school and Momo had insisted Ryoma and him hang out and maybe go see the tennis courts to play around. That's was where they were heading. Both of the boys were in their casual athletic attire with light jackets Ryoma had his usual Fila cap on. Both boys bounded up the concrete steps toward the direction of the public courts. The sun was still out in the sky, but slowly descended onto the horizon. Orange streaks grazed the sky and a nice, cool afternoon breeze blew in the air. Perfect weather to play some tennis after a rainstorm the previous days. As the two friends got closer to the courts, they noticed it. A crowd.

"What's going on?" Momo wondered out loud, raising a brow. Up ahead, an audience was crowded around one court. A match was progressing. Assumingly, only one, and it seemed interesting by the size of the onlookers. Even though natural light was out, the street lamps were shining with rich white light. Sounds of racket thunks and footfalls were clearly heard.

Ryoma did not answer his senpai, his cat-like eyes narrowing, and a frown forming. He stroded forward briskly, leaving Momo to follow his kohai abruptly. Both Seigaku regulars shouldered through the crowd until they had full view of what was happening. Momo's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What the hell?" he said, and stared at the most abnormal _and _most impressive match he'd seen in a while upon public courts.

"It's the mysterious tennis player," Ryoma said in a mutter, but Momo heard him and agreed.

On the court, wearing the clothes Inui had described to the pair, was the strong, foreign tennis player. This person was _almost_ exactly like Ryoma. Heck, they were even around the same height and body structure. Slim, short, and fit. But Ryoma felt something off about the player, his senses keen as usual, but dismissed that thought as he saw his look-a-like play a two-on-one match. Ryoma recognized the double pair. The same pair that he and Momo had a run-in during junior high. The compatible purple-haired boy and spiky brown-haired one. Ryoma's look-a-like seemed to winning, holding on his/her own in an outmatched game. He/she flew across his/her side of the court, favoring net play, and snapping out shots in a flurry.

"Come on, Izumi! Fukawa!" shouted the audience in support, favoring the known double pair than the unknown player.

"Beat that brat!" someone else yelled.

"That kid sure can put Izumi and Fukawa on their knees," Momo commented as he and his kohai watched the double pair sweat and stumble to keep up. The unknown player was swift and cunning, shooting across the court easily. His/her control was precise, every shot zoomed past the double pair's formations and teamwork at the corners or baselines. Ryoma saw his doppelganger's footwork, the reason why he felt connected to the capped player.

"Split-Step," he said in realization. "Momo-chan-senpai, look at the brat's footwork."

Momo barely cared about his kohai's language. "This person sure acts like you."

Ryoma scowled at his senpai and his statement. No one was like him. _No one._

"Game and match! 6-0. Izumi and Fukawa pair loose!" announced the volunteer referee. He called more blandly, "Winner goes to the other kid!"

Groans of protest mixed with gasps of surprise rang throughout the public area.

Ryoma's twin straightened up in his/her leaning pose. Izumi and Fukawa fell to the ground on their knees or butts, too exhausted to stand. Their breathing were in loud puffs. The Seigaku regulars watched the unknown tennis player readjust his/her star-designed cap and bow to his/her beaten opponents. Was he/her thanking for the game despite the knowledge he/she disgraced his/her opponent? The audience started to grow smaller as some disappointed onlookers left the scene.

Momo ran to the losing pair on the court ground, Ryoma followed slowly, not as enthusiastic. "Oi! Are you two okay? That was pretty intense!"

Izumi wheezed out, "Too strong...like...everyone...said."

"Wimps," Ryoma remarked, but he was staring intently across the net at his twin. He/she was also facing his direction calmly. Ryoma scowled again. He was getting pissed off. Who did this person think he/she was? On top of that, to play as a mirror of _him._ Was this a joke directed to him? Standing on the court, opposite of each other, it really _was_ like a mirror. His muscles twitched to move and he had an urge to show this unwanted brat a lesson.

Ryoma's twin held his/her racket almost lazily in a particular way. His/her middle finger bent to hold the racket in the triangular opening, letting it swing carelessly upside-down. While Ryoma freely showed his face under his cap (mostly for people to see his cocky grin) his twin had his/her cap tucked down securely to cast a shadow over his/her face.

"Who are you?" he growled at him/her.

His doppelganger shook his/her head slightly and sighed softly.

Ryoma scowled and glared at him/her fiercely. "Nani? Too scared to tell?" he taunted him/her.

Momo stood up behind him. "What kid? Can't play one more match?" he said, also baiting the tennis player.

Ryoma caught what looked like an amused smile on his twin's lips. He/she did a mock salute and suddenly ran off the public courts quickly.

"Oi!" Momo shouted, irated. "Come back and fight!" But the kid was sprinting fast out of view. Gone. It was just like how Inui described, the foreign player materialized during the afternoon, then breezed out of sight at sundown. The last rays of the sun melted into the dark haze of night.

Senpai and kohai exchanged glances, both peeved. "What was that about?" Momo grumbled.

Ryoma turned around to look at the older tennis players resting on the cool court. The tag-team finally regained their breaths. Izumi finally spoke up.

"That kid had shown up about an hour ago, barely saying a few words before starting up with a match with some other players, about five single games in all. That kid beat them all and hardly sweated a dent." He frowned, vexed. "Finally me and Fukawa decided to step in. We thought we could beat the new player as a tag-team, but," he shook his head resignedly, "we were wrong. Dead wrong."

"Game and match, too," muttered Fukawa. "We couldn't get one shot past that arrogant shrimp."

"Either you two gotten worst in five seconds, " Momo observed openly, "or that shrimp is better than you," Momo smirked, "like me."

"Shut it, Momoshiro," Fukawa huffed. His pride was definitely dented, but Momo didn't have to rub it in. "That brat found out our weakness first and broke our pace. His serves were incredibly strong. And he was definitely faster and the speed of his hits..." He shook his head and looked at Ryoma. "He's kinda like you Echizen. He even used Split-Step."

Echizen glanced up at Momo. "We should tell Inui-senpai about this."

"Un," Momo agreed.

Ryoma turned his tail and strolled off curtly. "You tell senpai then," he said simply.

Momo ran after his annoying little kohai. "Oi! I didn't mean I was going to tell Inui-senpai!"

There were barely any lingering spectators from that afternoon matches. Only one was left in the end, sitting in a relaxed but dutiful manner in the tiered stands. He got out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Moshi moshi?" answered a suave and mannered tone. The caller wasted no time on greetings.

"Atobe? I got the info you wanted."

* * *

><p>The next day was finally the first day of the new school year after the end of spring break. Seishun Gakuen High School Division was almost an exact replica of its middle school division, except everything here was...maturer? Maybe the word was <em>sophisticated. <em>The large white three-story building establishment was surrounded by brick walls and metal front gates. Cherry blossom trees were flourished with fragrant pink leaves, and in the morning, the outdoors were warm and breezy. Students of Seishun Gakuen wore their summer uniforms and shoes. In the afternoon, the sun would raise the temperature.

The weather was one to cheer someone up early in the morning. And it was beautiful outside to play sports. Most people milled inside the school where it was lively and cozy. Friends and classmates reunited themselves, all in a new grade level.

Homeroom was uncommonly filled with its round of students, still time left to socialize before first bell. Echizen Ryoma was resting his head on his desk, due to the fact Momo had insisted they go to school early since it was the new year. Momo had rushed off to a small meeting with the other tennis regulars to talk about the skilled, unmasked tennis player he and Ryoma encountered the previous day. It looked like Ryoma was snoozing with his cat-like eyes barely open, but he was thinking...and sulking.

_Stupid brat,_ he grouched in his head, staring at a fixated spot on the floor. _Too coward to play one more game? I didn't even get..._

A certain braided auburn-haired girl about two rows over was frowning at his slouching posture.

_I wonder what's wrong with Ryoma-kun today?_ Sakuno thought worriedly. _Is he sick? Or maybe it's the weather? But it seems wonderful today._

When Sakuno's best friend, the pig-tailed Tomoka (her hairstyle has been childish since _forever_) saw who she was staring at, Tomoka's fangirl love/concern gushed out. Puppy love was pretty much all Tomoka felt about Ryoma since junior high.

"Ryoma-sama, are you feeling sick today? Did you eat breakfast? Is it the hot weather? Or is it because tennis practice isn't until the afternoon?" Tomoka was basically on the same train of thoughts like Sakuno, but her execution of display was loud and unbashful. Her sentences were like punches to the eardrums. Screechy and painful.

Ryoma pretended to fall asleep.

The freshman tennis trio walked over to surround Ryoma, who sighed in annoyance and sat up. Sakuno and Tomoka followed suit to his desk. Tomoka, being in Ryoma's personal bubble, and Sakuno, still thinking what was troubling him.

"Ne, ne, Echizen," Horio asked in his nasal voice, "have you met the capped tennis player who looks like you yet?"

Ryoma looked grumpy. "Iie."

Horio pounded his chest proudly. "One day, me and that player will cross paths, and I will challenge him to a match, and win!"

Tomoka rebuked against Horio's daydreams. "An idiot like you could never beat someone as strong as that! That wannabe is impersonating Ryoma-sama! I bet that he came to personally challenge Ryoma-sama and Ryoma-sama will beat him without a sweat!" She turned to Ryoma, rubbing her hands together. "Ne, ne, am I right, Ryoma-sama?"

Inside, Tomoka's and Horio's words stirred up angry and mixed feelings in Ryoma. He was _very_ pissed off now. He crossed his arms and scowled at the desk top, fuming about the tennis match he wanted.

Tomoka's attention was diverted from Ryoma when the bell rang in a series of chimes. The students clamored into their seats hastily as the sensei walked in. Sensei stopped at the podium without glancing up at his students and skimmed through his folders. The class was quiet as they waited to begin their lessons.

Sensei cleared his throat and stared at the sea of young faces. "Today we have a new student who transferred just recently during spring break." An excited, uplifting chatter surfaced in the classroom. Sensei ignored it. He called out in the direction of the doors. "Please come in now."

The doors slide opened and walked in a girl...in a boys' uniform?

She came in until she was standing in a light manner by the podium as Sensei wrote her name on the chalkboard. She stared directly at her new classmates as they whispered amongst each other about her. She was...beautiful.

This girl was a classic Asian beauty. Her body was slender and proportional under a males' uniform, but she was short, a couple of inches over five feet. Her face was angelic and prim. Her skin was pale and her expression was like she was frozen in a dream. Her almond-shaped eyes were absolutely stunning. Sapphire eyes.

Sensei finished on her name. "Everyone, this is Kurosaki Amatsu."

Amatsu bowed respectfully at the waist. Her face was still dreamy as she smiled softly, but more animated than before.

"Konnichiwa," she said in a alluring voice like velvet, bringing people to a daze, "I'm Kurosaki Amatsu. Please take care of me."

Someone whistled lowly in the room.

Sensei took the time to chide her about her uniform. "Kurosaki-san, I must warn you, it's mandatory for girls to wear a _girls'_ uniform and not anything they like. Tomorrow wear the correct dress code or you will sent to the front office."

Amatsu's soft smile became an unrepentant frown. "Aw, but girl uniforms are too _frilly_." She made a distasteful face at that word.

Sensei narrowed his eyes shrewdly at her. "Rules are rules, Kurosaki-san. You may might as well learn them soon or things will get messy."

Amatsu held up her hands in surrender. "Hai, hai."

"There's an vacant seat next to Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki, raise your hand."

Sakuno blinked and raised her hand quickly. The new student was going to sit by her!

Amatsu strolled swiftly down the rows and situated herself, setting her schoolbag down. She smiled at Sakuno. Sakuno's face lit up. Both of them thought of the same thing when they noticed each other.

_She's pretty._

Sensei cleared his throat. "Now, first things first. I hope you all remembered that starting today..."

* * *

><p>Homeroom had finally ended-thank Kami-and the sensei went to change classrooms while the students lingered in the class, socializing again. Homeroom was dreadfully tedious especially with a strict and boring teacher, rambling on and on about procedures and upcoming topics.<p>

Sakuno was putting away her notebooks in her bag and noticed on her left that Amatsu was doing the same. She smiled in her cheerful, friendly way.

Sakuno got Amatsu's attention. "Konnichiwa, Kurosaki-chan, I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno. It's nice to meet you."

Amatsu smiled back politely. "Konnichiwa, and don't call me so formally. I prefer being called by my given name."

Sakuno adored the girl's voice and smile. She agreed enthusiastically, "Hai! Amatsu-chan!"

Amatsu laughed like burst of chimes. "I don't really like being address as 'chan', but okay." She shrugged. "You're really pretty Saku-chan, and nice."

Sakuno blushed nothing less by that high praise. "Sa-Saku-chan?"

"Can I call you that?" Amatsu asked. "You look like a 'Saku-chan' to me."

"Mm!" Sakuno loved it. She'd made a new best friend! Someone like her! So kind and beautiful and open-minded.

"Eh? Sakuno? Are you talking to the new kid?" inquired a pitchy voice. Amatsu and Sakuno looked up to see pig-tailed Tomoka looming over them, one brow up.

Sakuno began introductions happily, "Amatsu-chan, this is Osakada Tomoka, my best friend."

"Nice to meet you," she replied causally. She concurred that Tomoka and Sakuno were opposites. It was easy to tell. Maybe the expression _opposites attract_ was true.

"Hey! Don't forget us!" exclaimed another voice. Three figures stroded forward. All boys. One boy had crinkly russet hair and a unibrow, his face reminding Amatsu of a monkey. The other two could almost be brothers with their black hair and friendly outlook. One boy was taller than the other.

Sakuno gestured at the boys. "That's Horio-kun, Kachiro-san, and Mizuno-san. They're all in the boys' tennis club."

Amatsu's bold eyes lit up interestedly. "Tennis team?"

"Yup!" Horio pounded his chest proudly. "I have other five years of tennis experience now! If you have any questions or concerns about tennis, just call me!"

"He's not really good at tennis though," Tomoka staged-whispered to Amatsu sourly. "He never made it into the regulars spot in junior high."

"Oi! I heard that!"

Amatsu glanced between Sakuno and Tomoka. "Are you two in tennis?"

Tomoka patted Sakuno's back. "Sakuno is! She's good, too! She's been in the girls' tennis club since junior high and became a regular last year! Her grandmother coached the boys' team in junior high than transferred to high school after two years so she could teach the same regulars again!" Tomoka's eyes looked like stars, her voice so dramatic. "Oh! And now we're all together in the same school again just like in junior high! With Ryoma-sama!" At that reminder, Tomoka waved across the classroom and a bored-looking boy slouching in his seat. "Ryoma-sama! Ryoma-sama!"

"Shh, Tomo-chan," Sakuno tried helplessly to calm her crazed friend. "It wasn't that important. I was only a doubles player. And obaa-chan really missed everyone."

Ryoma had glanced to his left when the loud-mouth girl shouted his name. His gaze settled briefly at the sweet, braided, auburn-haired who was placating her loud friend, and strangely, staring curiously past Sakuno, was the new kid. The sapphire-eyed girl in a boy's uniform. They locked gazes for a second. The girl's monotone expression changed into an amused smile momentarily then disappeared. Ryoma blinked, thinking he made that up in his mind. But something was bothering him...that smile...he'd seen it before, but where?

He forgot that thought after another class hour, long and endless. He fell asleep behind the secrecy of his book.

"Sono, Saku-chan, can you explain to me the tennis rules around here?" Amatsu asked her new-found friend during lunch. Amatsu and her new array of friends sat outside on a picnic bench in honor for Amatsu's arrival. She had felt really touched and decided to give everyone a cookie that she'd baked at home from her bento. Amatsu and Sakuno got even more closer with the same passion for cooking.

"The tennis club here is split by gender," Sakuno started explaining like an expert because she was. "You can sign up now if you want but it's not mandatory to join a sport. Regular ranks are set up by matches about every three months. Those who win in each block become members eight regulars in all. They get blue and white Seigaku jackets. And training is different most of the time but Seigaku wants to keep it's reputation in winning the nationals." Sakuno looked thoughtful. "The boys' tennis club captain is Tezuka Kunimitsu-senpai. My obaa-chan is the coach this year. She's old, but she can be very strong-willed! When Tezuka-senpai and his year came to high school, they didn't win the nationals at first. The next year became harder, but they won! My obaa-chan told me this."

"It's because last year because Momo-chan-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai enrolled in high school," Kachiro cutted in, his dark eyes bright. "This year Ryoma-kun's here and Seigaku will definitely win nationals. It'll be just like in junior high again! Before school officially started, tennis club did. We organized the ranking tournament and Ryoma-kun got selected again!"

Amatsu absorbed the information deeply her face blank and far away as she stared at her half-eaten bento.

_It's just like he said. Hmm..._

While Amatsu was thinking, Tomoka stomped back into the picture from her scouraging, looking grumpy.

"Ryoma-sama didn't want to eat with us today," she complained. "He and the other regulars are training. It's not healthy to train all day and eat nothing!"

_But he took my homemade bento earlier,_ Sakuno thought, looking worried again for the freshman ace.

Blinking back into the present time, Amatsu asked, "Isn't Echizen the youngest winner of Wimbledon?"

Everyone nodded amiably with wide smiles.

"How do you know, Kurosaki-chan?" Horio asked curiously. Amatsu shot him a bland look at the word 'chan'. "Do you watch tennis tournaments?"

Amatsu gave a small grin. "I _play_ tennis."

Sakuno brightened. "Ah! Hontou? Then you should join the girls' tennis club!"

Amatsu chuckled lightly, easing off the subject. "It's okay. I'm thinking of joining a a music program or something. I play tennis somewhere else."

"Are you good?" Mizuno asked her.

Amatsu shrugged offhandedly. "I am not bad," she admitted.

"Maybe you could play some matches with us!" Horio proclaimed. "There's some good tennis courts nearby with lighting. But be careful these days! A mysterious, strong tennis player, who wears a cap to hid his face, had been going around and pummeling locals in perfect matches!"

Amatsu quirked a brow. "Houtouni? He's that good? Sugoi ne."

Tomoka rolled her eyes. She repeated her fervent words from earlier in class, "I think this person heard of Ryoma-sama's winning streak and great skills that he's trying to prove he's better than Ryoma-sama! He's just a wannabe! Ryoma-sama should go find this actor and defeat him fair and square!" Sakuno had to calm down her friend again. Horio, Kachiro, and Mizuno were talking about the possibilities against Ryoma and the capped tennis player. Bets and favors were on Ryoma. They believed firmly in their friend.

"Fair and square?" Amatsu echoed, looking thoughtful. She ate her lunch.

Lunch had ended in a good note. Both Amatsu and Sakuno were thrilled that they had a majority of classes together. Amatsu found out Sakuno had some weak points in English and Math, and decided to help her. Sakuno was glad to have someone tutor her. Amatsu was very intelligent. She breezed through her assignments in a blink of an eye (ten minutes to be exact) and read the rest of the class hour. The teachers could barely keep up with her. Amatsu would correct them absently and all the questions she was asked were answered precisely. She also got away with her switched uniform attire easily. The teachers learned to leave her alone very quickly.

Sakuno was Amatsu's tour guide in school. But it turned out both of them were bad with directions so they always had assistance from Kachiro or Mizuno or Tomoka (Horio was too snobby to even suggest to). During passing breaks and such, Sakuno would find a bit more about Amatsu and vice versa. Amatsu knew more than six languages by visiting different countries and having interest in cultures. Sakuno was really clever in Science, Amatsu's most dreaded subject because Science made her head spin. Amatsu adored swimming and her family liked going to the beach. Sakuno was clumsy and forgetful one minute then mature and intuitive the next. Amatsu didn't like over-the-top-cute because the thought of her being adorable and dressed in a skirt made her gag. Sakuno had been friends with Tomoka since grade school. Amatsu had a skill in art. Curiously, Amatsu brought up the subject of tennis again but inquiring more about Sakuno and her training.

"Didn't Tomoka-san say something about you being a regular last year?" Amatsu said as Sakuno and her walked down to the lockers. School had finally ended and afternoon activities would start soon. Opening their lockers, they switched their shoes.

"H-hai." Sakuno blushed, remembering how elated and proud she felt when she joined the rank of regulars. She played mostly doubles and occasionally singles against other schools. Girl tennis clubs never went into official tournaments. Sakuno won most of her matches amiably. "It wasn't that important, but I trained the best I could with help from my obaa-chan and Ryoma-kun would sometimes stepped out to teach me."

Amatsu noticed her blushing. Sakuno was like a cute little bunny. Wait, Amatsu had thought _cute_, she meant _sweet._

"If it made you happy," she told her friend, "then it _is_ important." Amatsu smiled warmly and Sakuno smiled back.

Both of the girls exited the school building. Amatsu said she would part ways from there and walked off. Sakuno waved her friend goodbye and hurried to the tennis courts to see if Tomoka was there. She'd remembered her friend saying she wanted to see Ryoma because he missed lunch. It took her a few misguided turns, but she finally found the boys' tennis courts.

Everyone was lively as she arrived. Tennis members seemed to be stretching and setting up all the equipment. Raising nets, sweeping the courts, getting the baskets of tennis balls from the storage, and so on. Fangirls and fanboys (really?) were crowded outside the green tennis court fence. Some took pictures while others waved their colorful, artistic banners saying 'I love you!' and whatnot.

Sakuno remembered her senpais from junior high, wearing Seigaku regular jackets. She rattled the ones she saw in her head as she came closer. _Ryoma-kun, Momo-chan-senpai, Kaidoh-senpai, Fuji-senpai, Oishi-senpai, Kikumaru-senapi, Inui-senapi..._There was no Tezuka or Kawamura. Tezuka was probably at some meeting or talking with her grandmother. Kawamura, she knew, had kept his promise to his dad to quit tennis and fulfill his dream and work hard on becoming a professional sushi chef.

It was easy to find Tomoka. She had a banner with Ryoma's name all big and bold. She waved it wildly, yelling, "Congratulations on making regulars, Ryoma-sama! I knew you would! L-O-V-E! Ryoma-sama!"

Ryoma was staring the other way, his back towards her, and vaguely listening to Momo as he talked to his kohai. Sakuno rushed over to the frantic Tomoka. It was hard to make her quiet when she was in president-fangirl-mode, singing (or shouting) poorly made cheers and repeating gestures.

"Mou!" Horio said, dressed in his tennis attire a t-shirt, shorts, and tennis sneakers and came over to complain about Tomoka. "Would you be quiet for once?"

"Why don't you?" Tomoka snapped back and they both started bickering heatedly. It was so rash, Kachiro and Mizuno appeared and had to hold back a scrunchy, red-face Horio.

On the courts, practice was free-for-all. Some members teamed up to play matches and get their work cut out for them. Ryoma and Momo played a game against each other, and so did Inui and Kaidoh. Although they were serious about training, they performed half-heartedly. Pictures were taken of the tennis wonders and the tennis members trained hard in the absence of their captain. On their mind was nationals.

Sakuno, Kachiro, and Mizuno managed to placate Tomoka and Horio down to just glaring at each other. Sakuno turned to see her senpais' stretching, playing, and speaking about techniques. She marveled over how graceful Ryoma could run and return shots or Momo's determination and high spirit. Sakuno wondered if she ever looked so picturesque like a moment of perfectness in any way.

_If it made you happy, then it _is_ important._

Yes...maybe sometimes it wasn't all about moments of glory and fame, but spirit and love.

Sakuno was daydreaming so much she didn't see an unannounced person enter the courts until one of the second-year tennis members Masashi Arai shouted in a sharp tone.

"Oi!" he said, pointing a finger at the freshman-sized figure at the fence entrance. He wore a blue, white-collared tee, black shorts, sneakers, and a white cap with a single star-design on it. The cap covering the boy's face secretly, and had his blue racket rested over his slim shoulder. "You! Non-members of the club are not allowed on the court!"

The boy tilted his head slightly like he didn't understand.

At Arai's shouting, everyone ceased their activities. Fuji, Oishi, and Kikumaru stopped chatting and turned around. Active players halted in their games. Ryoma and Momo eyes were wide with disbelief, staring at the newly arrived kid.

Sakuno felt her mouth hanging open. _That_ was the tennis player everyone's been talking about? No doubt he looked like Ryoma! Plus, was this kid really good in tennis like in the rumors? Maybe he was. It was almost like experiencing déjà vu back then with Ryoma, but with someone who _wasn't_ Ryoma, but could be. A long-lost twin perhaps?

The capped boy ignored Arai's statement and stroded forward leisurely, like he had all the time in the world. He waged the racket to no one in general.

His voice was grave and aloof. "Anyone against me. One-point match." His voice was too soft enough to be a boy's but too low to be a girl's.

Arai, who was angry at the kid's disobedience, gripped his racket and growled vehemently, "I'll take you!"

Under the shadow of his cap, the boy smiled.

Arai and the challenger took up an empty court. All around, inside and outside the court, an interested and awed crowd gathered.

Oishi was already worried. "Um...Fuji, what happens when Tezuka finds out Arai-kun accepted a match to a stranger?"

Fuji smiled mysteriously. "Saa...We'll see soon enough, right?"

Oishi sweatdropped.

Fuji went to a bench with his athletic sports bag without care. He grabbed his cell phone and pressed in a text. He took his cell phone with him as he ambled back to Oishi's side, ready to watch the heated match. His cell phone vibrated; he checked the mail.

_I'll be there._

Fuji kept his sadistic smile.

Kikumaru opted to be the referee and climbed up the referee chair without being asked. He had a mischievous grin as he cleared his throat. "One-point match game versus Arai and-um-the other kid!"

Arai smiled, already feeling triumphant. He boasted, "Since I know I'm gonna win, I'll let you serve first kid! Be my guest of honor!"

Oh, what a wrong thing to say. The only people who knew that were the Seigaku regulars, who said nothing and exchanged glances. One person of the regulars was fuming under _his_ Fila cap. How stupid was Arai? Ryoma wanted to accept the darn challenge first but Arai was too thick-headed to notice anything but himself.

The challenger produced a tennis ball from his pocket and started bouncing it rhythmically. His blue-framed racket was ready in his right hand.

Arai made a mistake by blinking. His grin faded from his lips as the tennis ball zoomed to the corner of his court with an audible _smack!_

"Sugoi ne," Kachiro whispered. His friends were around him and couldn't help but agree. The speed of the ball was _fast._

Trying not to lose his dignity, Arai chuckled (somewhat nervous) and maintained his bravado. "Th-that was nothing! I only let you get a point because you're a shrimp! I was being nice. Th-this time I'll play serious."

It was in everyone's mind, _He never does._

The kid nodded at his proclamation and served again. This time Arai reacted, but he was too slow. The ball hit the corner, Arai's tennis racket missing by three feet. This happened two more times until the capped player won, Arai trying to keep up miserably, and he fell to his knees in disgrace.

Kikumaru announced clearly, "Game and match! Arai-kun looses!"

"I-I can't believe it. A brat like him..." A shadow passed over the second-year, and he glanced up to see Momo standing in front of him, brandishing his racket. Momo was grinning expectantly at the shorter kid across the court.

"Move aside Arai, let a _real _player show you how it's done," he said. With his head down shamefully, Arai exited the court. Momo held up a ball to show the kid. "You mind if I serve?" he asked. A shrug was his response. He took that as a 'yes'.

"ORIYA!" Momo shouted as he did a jump serve.

"Ah! Bullet Serve!" cried the freshman trio. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation. The kid was gonna lose!

The capped player braced himself and ran to intercept it. The player grunted slightly and returned the fast serve.

_This kid's pretty good!_ Momo observed in his head_._ _He returned my serve._ Momo ran to the other end of the court and a rally ensued. Momo's perspective eyes noticed the kid's footwork: Split-Step. He had incorporated the footwork so stealthily unlike Ryoma. For a split second, Momo thought about his kohai and glanced briefly to a frowning Ryoma fuming under his cap for the match that he _still_ had to wait for. His impatience was thinned greatly.

Because of Momo's distraction, the capped player shot across his side of the court and scored the first point. But that didn't bother Momo, he was grinning, pumped up about a good challenge. Momo served again and another rally proceeded. Momo was strong and swift with high-spirit. His opponent was cunning and quick-minded. Momo was probably overreacting about being in the game but it seemed the short kid wanted a workout, just like him.

The capped player shot swiftly to Momo's side of the court again, but to his left. Everyone's eyes widened as Momo grinned and did a strong, deft backhand with both hands gripping the racket. It rocketed to the kid who was in the line of fire.

"Jack Knife!" Horio cried.

Oishi looked at Fuji with fretful eyes. "Momo's insane if he thinks the kid can return that! Momo wasn't holding back at all!"

Fuji held up a beseeching finger for Oishi to wait. Fuji's cerulean eyes were opened, signifying he was interested in something.

Practically all jaws were dropped as Momo's opponent poised himself and returned the Jack Knife. A tiny smile was graced on his lips. He was enjoying this!

By the time the ball landed in the baseline and bounced off, Momo had finally recovered from his shock and blinked back into reality.

"That kid...he really is something..."

"Thirty-love!" announced Kikumaru, but the cheery playfulness in his voice was edgy. Probably concern for his kohai.

Ryoma was leaning on the balls of his feet. Dammit! When was it his turn? The unfading scowl grew more prominent.

"You're good brat," Momo commented to his opponent, who was facing in his direction, posture light and straight. "Let's see if you can take me full on."

"Does Momo-chan-senpai mean he's going to be rough on the kid?" Kachiro asked out loud, a knit between his brows.

"I expect so," replied Inui, who was close to the freshmans near the fence. He pushed his glasses back. "Momoshiro had been only using half of his power until the recent Jack Knife. I suspect he was doing that for the benefit of his control." Inui checked his wristwatch and flipped open his notebook, writing notes. "Il data..."

Momo was relentless now, attacking and using more bursts of his immense strength, but no matter what he did without going overboard, the kid kept up. In fact, he was perfectly fine. Not slowing down or weakening. His speed and accuracy was killer. He flew in blurry movements across the field. Momo enforced another Jack Knife and the kid handled the blast of power and returned it, winning another point. He shook his hand and did some practice swings afterwards like he only noticed the strength of the shot until recently.

Momo lost not too soon. The match lasted ten minutes.

"Game and match. Momo-chan looses!" Kikumaru proclaimed somewhat baffled.

Inui's glasses glinted as he jotted down more notes. He murmured, "The newcomer didn't shoot any lobs or drop shots..."

"Nani?" The freshmans had heard him. They looked confused.

Inui glanced up to see Momo gripping his racket tightly. He looked both impressed and angry. Inui repeated, "Momoshiro is discouraged that the newcomer did not hit any lobs and drop shots. He was unable to use his Dunk Smash. I wonder if the player knew it beforehand or his style of playing is specifically straight shots and volleys?"

"What did you say, Sadaharu?" There was only a few people who actually ever said Inui's given name. Sakuno, Tomoka, and the freshman trio turned around to see Yanagi Renji standing behind them, in his Rikkaidai regulars' uniform and his sport bag swung over his shoulder.

"Ah, Renji," Inui said, unsurprised. (Horio was outrageously exclaiming how Yanagi appeared so quietly and why he was here.) "You've finally arrived."

Renji approached closer. "Hai." He pointed. "Fuji Yuuta arrived just before me." What he said was true, Fuji's younger brother was running to meet his brother through the fence looking rushed.

"Aniki!" he said. He grabbed at the fence links, eyes bright. "Is it true? The player is _here?_"

Without changing his mysterious smile, Fuji nodded and pointed at the now-ending-battle. "Hai." He pointed. "Mita."

On the other end of the fence, Inui and Yanagi were going over data about the mysterious player. By then, a brave (or cocky), expectant person had stroded forward to the court. His had his red racket ready over his shoulder and his cat-like eyes were narrowed and glinting. Momo got out of the way. No one should mess with Ryoma when he was like this: abrasive.

Ryoma said monotonously, "You. Me. One game. To the end."

Ryoma's twin readjusted his cap down more firmly, not a stray piece of hair out of place (unless it was short). Hints of black strands were at the sides and back of his head. Nodding amiably, he flashed Ryoma a bright grin in the sun. The positioned themselves correctly on the court. Ryoma bounced the tennis ball, he was serving right-handed.

Sakuno, Tomoka, the freshmans practically everyone knew what this meant. They exchanged intense glances. Yuuta, who had experience against Ryoma, assumed the infamous player would lose.

The kid waited as Ryoma tossed the ball and jumped, hitting the ball.

Swishing, ball hit the ground and shot upwards. It flew for the boy's face. He dodged it.

"Ah! Twist Serve!" shouted the freshman trio. Tomoka added exuberantly, "Ryoma-sama won a point!" She and Sakuno shared a cheerful smile.

The capped kid had recoiled his face away a second ago, not expecting that type of serve. It had twisted and aimed for his face. He checked his star-designed cap. It was still secured.

_Not bad._

Ryoma smirked.

The kid poised himself as Ryoma bounced the ball rhythmically then tossed the ball and jumped to meet it.

_Fwoosh_. The ball smacked and spun as it landed on the ground. Ryoma's twin already had taken a step back and read the direction of the serve and shot it back. Ryoma met up with it, seeing the direction as well, and started a rally. All the audience saw was a mirror. Two of the same person but, yet, their looks were opposites. Both were slim, but fit. Short and swift. Their aura a background of immense power, skill, and experience. No story could ever match theirs.

Ryome shot a slice and his twin hit the ball with precise control it curved past Ryoma's range, and he won the next point.

"Sugoi control!" Sakuno gasped. Inui and Yanagi were scribbling down notes profusely.

"Fifteen-all!" Kikumaru cried out, his grin was cheeky. He couldn't wait to see who won this game!

It was Ryoma's twin's turn to smirk. Ryoma scoffed.

Ryoma gripped the tennis ball tightly in his hand, mostly in frustration, just when he was about get into position to serve, a familiar commanding voice rang throughout the tennis courts.

"Stop it right there!"

Everyone froze.

Gasps of surprise and whimpers sounded in the presence of the captain. Tezuka stood tall at the court entrance, one hand in his pocket. His expression was aloof, but it could change in a blink of an eye.

Tezuka glared at everyone in general. His sharp gaze landed on the halted match. Ryoma's scowl faded, he ducked his head. Not ashamed or abashed, but agitated. He hid it.

Tezuka stroded forward. Every step was like a flinch to someone in the crowd. Tennis member or not. Arai turned pale.

Oishi came to Tezuka's side, slightly scared and slightly embarrassed that he did not do his job in supervising. "Te-Tezuka? Um...this..."

Tezuka ignored his lame comments. He narrowed his eyes at one person in particular.

"Who are you?" he demanded in a low voice at the infamous player. Facing in the captain's directions, he seemed...merrier?

"Tezuka Kunimitsu," he said in that soft, enigmatic voice. "One match. You and me."

Ryoma's eyes flashed to his opponent. _What?_ He was tossing him aside like a rag doll? His hands balled into angry fists. Momo concluded Ryoma might blow up anytime soon. You could see steam from his head.

Tezuka did nothing. Then, he said a simple answer that gave every single person in Seigaku a heart-attack.

"I accept."

Sakuno had her hands over her mouth, her doe-like eyes very, _very_ wide. She looked at her friends. They were as speechless and struck dumb as her. Horio's jaw was to the ground. Her senpais: Inui had suddenly stopped in his writing then started again more furiously. Fuji had his cerulean eyes open, a dazzling, cryptic smile present. Oishi was stunned, frozen like a statue. Kikumaru almost fell of the umpire.

Tezuka grabbed his racket and took Ryoma's place who stood down reluctantly. Ryoma's doppelganger flashed a elated (or playful) grin and got a ball to serve. Shouting tersely, he served with accuracy. Tezuka hit it back easily. That didn't impress him, his expression intent and bland. Ryoma's doppelganger met up with the ball at service line and shot the ball back a volley with precise control before it touched the ground, the ball dashed back.

"Rising Shot," Yuuta whispered in recognition.

Tezuka was just as quick and graceful as his opponent. As the ball rose lowly, he shot it back a backhand slice his eyes trained specifically on one spot.

_Woosh._ The ball curved upwards towards the player's face. Since he was positioned up close near the service line, he instinctively jerked his head back to avoid getting hit. But that was Tezuka's intention. The ball tipped off the boy's cap.

Correction: the _girl's_ cap.

All eyes were on _her_ as the cap fell to the ground. Eyes on _her_ as a curtain of black hair unbundled itself and fell to _her _shoulders. Expressions were uncomprehending as they saw an angelic face freed from the secretive shadow of the cap. A _familiar _angelic face. Pale complexion. Dreamy, but lively expression. And, stunning sapphire eyes.

Sakuno was the first to break from her shock. She gasped loudly, cheeks turning pink.

"A-Amatsu-chan?"

At her name, Amatsu glanced at her friend's direction and winked mysteriously. "Hey, Saku-chan," she said lightly, her voice not hidden cautiously anymore.

"It _is_ Kurosaki-chan!" Mizuno said.

Loud exclamations and disbelieved gasps were heard.

Amatsu picked up her cap and raised an eyebrow at the unwavering Tezuka as she dusted it off.

The capped player Kurosaki Amatsu sighed resignedly. "You just had to ruin the fun, didn't you, Kunimitsu?"

Tezuka told her mildly, "I thought I told you to meet me in Ryuzaki's office. When she noticed a ruckus going about here, I stepped out." Tezuka shot an accusing glare at the spectators. They pretended to be interested in something else their shoes or the orange sky. The sun was setting. The regulars excluding Fuji and Inui sweatdropped. Momo gulped.

"It was Arai's fault," someone muttered in the crowd. Arai hid himself behind his friends at that.

"It's just free practice," someone else protested weakly.

"Wait!" shouted a voice. Yuuta. "I-I thought-This is impossible! How can a _girl_ have been masquerade as a boy and beaten almost all the locals in Tokyo in the past week?"

Amatsu frowned distastefully at Yuuta's choice of words. "If you don't believe yourself, _boy_, come up here and let me pound you into dust myself."

Yuuta and Amatsu had a glaring contest.

Tezuka cleared his throat, gaining all undivided attention. "Amatsu"-people have never heard Tezuka say a first name so casually-"what made you go and play matches under a disguise?"

Amatsu smiled. "Some little birdies told me about a particularly strong tennis club, and I decided to investigate myself."

Giant arrows were pointed at five certain freshmans. _'These little birdies'._ Sakuno blushed profusely. All of this was practically her fault if she hadn't been gloating.

Amatsu looked at Tezuka queerly. "But then again, you also bragged about your teammates and I couldn't help but meet them."

The entire tennis team almost fainted to the ground. The regulars exchanged incredulous expressions. _Tezuka had bragged about them? The TEZUKA?_

"They're quite good Kunimitsu." Amatsu shrugged. "Well, some of them. Like that Momoshiro or that bratty kid over there."

Ryoma scowled, gritting his teeth.

"Wait, wait," said Momo, waving his hands for things to slow down. He pointed between the unmasked player and his captain. Both were calm and not surprised at the sequence of events. "Who-how do you to know each other?" he cried.

Amatsu looked bland again, her eyes lidded disapprovingly at Tezuka. "You _never_ mentioned me? Not even a little bit about your own _cousin?_"

"Tezuka has a cousin who plays tennis like a pro," Inui mused. Yanagi nodded beside him.

Tezuka said mildly, "No one asked." He glanced at his _cousin._ "Come with me, Amatsu. It's time you met Ryuzaki-sensei."

Amatsu nodded. "Hai." She and Tezuka exited the courts with their rackets casually like nothing outrageously unexpected happen. Amatsu eyed an awed Sakuno as she passed by.

"Wanna come, Saku-chan?" she asked her in that alluring voice.

Sakuno was trying to determine if this was the same Amatsu she met earlier this day. Or could it be that Amatsu was acting all this time? But she saw that kind warmth in her eyes. And when she gazed into them, it was the same. Now and then.

"H-Hai!"

Sakuno trailed after her friend.

* * *

><p><strong>Hoped you liked this chapter. Please review. I'll write the second chapter in maybe a week or two. I have it planned out already. If you don't understand any words, it's probably in Japanese so just look it up.<strong>


	3. Chapter 2: Tennis Wonders

**Disclaimer: Tada! The next chapter! I don't own anything but my OC's and the plot. This chapter is more exposition junk. Before I read a story on FF, I'd always read the reviews, so can you help me out and review your thoughts?**

Chapter 2

Tennis Wonders

Sakuno felt more cheerful today as she walked to school with a bounce in her steps like she wanted to start skipping and singing all of the sudden. In fact, she was humming. The world was reflecting her mood, too. The skies were a clear azure blue. The sun grinning warmly down at nature. The air was slightly humid but nice. You could imagine bluebirds chirping their songs around Sakuno like she was Snow White. Sakuno had passed the gates of Seishun Gakuen with the other student body when a melodious voice called her name.

"Saku-chan!"

Turning around, Sakuno saw her official and new best friend running towards her. This time, instead of wearing the entire boy uniform-a white button shirt and long pants- Amatsu opted to wear just the shirt plus the pleated green skirt for the girls' uniform. No bow. (Amatsu hated bows.) Amatsu had been getting complaints from the teachers about her dress code and they would bicker until Amatsu would debate like a lawyer that dress codes was discriminative against genders. She won and was allowed to wear whatever she wanted as long it was under school rules. Amatsu had a way with words. Sakuno thought Amatsu looked lovely in a skirt.

Amatsu seemed bright and breathless this beautiful morning as she stood by Sakuno, her dreamy smile was more like a playful grin, like she knew something wonderful was going to happen today.

"Ohaiyo, Amatsu-chan!" Sakuno enthused, beaming.

Amatsu patted Sakuno's head affectionately, although their outward personalities were too alike to determine a kind of sister-sister relationship.

"Ohaiyo to you, too, Saku-chan," Amatsu said. She tilted her head. "Can I ask you something?"

Sakuno blinked. "Eh? Hai."

Amatsu looked sheepish. "Where's homeroom again?"

* * *

><p>Morning practice in the Seigaku tennis club just ended and the members were getting ready to leave for homeroom. Some members lingered outside or in the changing room.<p>

A certain person with glasses was sitting on the bench scribbling notes, a cell phone held between his shoulder and cheek. He had already changed into his school clothes. His athletic bag settled beside him.

"Hai, hai. She's about 165 centimeters. Black hair, blue eyes..." Inui mused into the phone. "Renji, did you calculate if she was going to arrive in one of our tennis clubs?"

"30% for Rikkaidai. 10.6% for Hyotei. 1.4% for Yamabuki. 5.5% for Fudomine. 3.5% for Josei Shonan. And 46% for Seigaku. Only for this week. Why? Did your percentages turn out different, Sadaharu?" said Yanagi through the mobile.

"Hm...hai. I contributed percentages for all schools," Inui replied. Seigaku had 41.2%. I never would have guessed that Kurosaki-san was Tezuka's cousin. I must look into this."

"Please do so and keep me informed," Yanagi said. "My arrival yesterday was quite sheer luck that Kurosaki-san decided to appear. Only when I came to visit you to transact personal information."

"Alright, goodbye then, Renji." Inui hung up and closed his notebook. It was recently purchased last week due to Kurosaki's appearance as the infamous player. The front title read: _'Kurosaki Amatsu'._

"Saa..." said a voice. Fuji. "Were you talking to Yanagi-san, Inui?"

Inui pushed his glasses back and stood up. "Hai. Fuji, may I ask if you ever knew of Tezuka's family connections?"

The tensai shook his head. "Only his parents and such."

A knit formed between Inui brows. "Kurosaki...that sounds familiar..."

* * *

><p>Sakuno was seated in her desk, looking aimlessly as she thought. Her mind lingering of the events that happened yesterday.<p>

_"So I finally get to meet you, Ryuzaki Sumire," said Amatsu with a genuine smile. "I thought I would never get to meet the person who watched over my cousin after all these years." Tezuka stood regally by Ryuzaki-sensei's desk. Sakuno could see a fond gleam in his eyes at his cousin._

_Ryuzaki-sensei chuckled. "I see you're a charmer. Also that my granddaughter has become your friend."_

_Sakuno blushed as Amatsu smiled widely. _

_"Oh, yes!" Amatsu said. "Saku-chan has been very sincere to me. I'm glad I met her. I hear she's good in tennis."_

_Ryuzaki-sensei looked proud. "She is. Hopefully she'll make regulars in high school."_

_"High percentage, I say," said Amatsu. Sakuno flushed even more at the praises she was receiving. But Amatsu continued at the real matters at hand she wished to discuss. "So it's true that they're no co-ed tennis clubs in schools here in Tokyo or nearby at all."_

_"Quite sad, yes, but that's the way it is here," Ryuzaki-sensei agreed. _

_Tezuka spoke up. "Amatsu wished to join tennis here in Seigaku, but when I informed her that the girls' tennis team could not play in official tournaments, she declined that she would join." He glanced at his cousin. "She's a good player, but her talents would be wasted if she did nothing."_

_"A-Ano," Sakuno said shyly. She didn't want to barge into the conversation but she wanted to ask something._

_"Yes, Sakuno?" her obaa-chan said._

_"Why did Amatsu-chan transfer here?" she asked timidly._

_The other three occupants in the room exchanged glances. Amatsu answered simply, "My parents thought it might be a good idea for me to enroll in a prestigious school, like Seigaku or Rikkaidai. I didn't want to transfer but they were persistent and I finally suggested Seigaku. Mostly to see the fuss around here about Kunimitsu and his team." Amatsu sighed wistfully. "Now my tennis days are downgraded here."_

_"I have an idea," Ryuzaki-sensei remarked. They all glanced at her. "Instead of joining a tennis club to be in the tournaments, why don't you train without being officially part of the team? You could train off to the side. I could ask the board members. With your grades and awards, Kurosaki, I think they wouldn't pass a chance to keep such a talented player."_

_Sakuno thought about her obaa-chan's words. Awards? A talented player?_

_Amatsu tilted her head and admitted, "That doesn't sound so bad. What do you think, Kunimitsu? Will I be a bother to you?"_

_Tezuka answered plainly like he knew the outcome, "As long as you don't disrupt practice, I am willing to let you use the courts along side with my members."_

_Amatsu beamed. "Yay!"_

And so now, Amatsu was going on the tennis club schedule along side with the boys, but she was there on her own accord. She could come and go as she liked.

Sakuno was brought from her reverie when she heard Tomoka shouting in the class.

"Sakuno-chan! Kurosaki-chan! Ohaiyo!"

"Ohaiyo!" Sakuno greeted back. Amatsu gave a nod and her mystic smile. She was on her cell phone, texting, seemingly pleased about something.

The freshman trio came over to Sakuno, Tomoka, and Amatsu.

"Ne, ne, Kurosaki-chan"-Amatsu frowned at the 'chan'-" where did you get your tennis training?" asked Horio. "I, for one, know I have over five years-"

"At a tennis academy southwest from here," cut in Amatsu. She saw the thankful looks from the others having to avoid Horio's boasting. "It's also a camp you can go during summer, winter, and spring break, but you can enroll year-round. All of my family plays tennis. But my parents wanted me to go a more...um...educational school. But wherever I go, I have to play tennis or else I go nuts. So I chose here with Kunimitsu."

Kachiro shuddered. "It's so weird hearing buchou's first name." His friends nodded.

Amatsu cracked an amused smile. She felt a piercing jab behind her shoulder and glanced without turning her head to see a certain Samurai Junior glaring at her. She knew what that look meant. _We are not finished yet._

Hm...she was going to enjoy tennis here.

Her phone vibrated again and she quickly checked the new mail she received. Her eyes shined. That second, Sensei walked in with a demanding gait. Students hurried to clamor into their seats. Amatsu put up her phone.

Sensei darted a quick glance at Amatsu's tidy, mismatched uniform and sighed. He minded his own business this time. Good for him.

"We have _more_ new students," he announced. He didn't seem overjoyed about it.

"Huh, again?" someone inquired.

"Maybe relatives of Kurosaki-san?" someone else wondered.

Amatsu's friends glanced at her inquiringly, she gave them a mischievous smile and winked.

"Come in," Sensei called out blandly. The doors slide open and two students walked in leisurely.

They stood side-by-side. Everyone began gossiping about them immediately as Sensei ignored their jibes and wrote the students name.

_Abarai Talim._

_Taiyo Katen._

The girl was compact and fit like a athletic runner or gymnast, but despite that she looked feminine. She had teal colored hair fixed into two side pigtails by bronze ornaments and wore a headband. Unlike Tomoka, who looked childish and silly in pig-tails, the girl was embraceful of her looks and was more traditional in style, making her pretty. She had steady amber eyes and a friendly smile. The boy beside her could pass as a second-year. He was tall and and judging by the indentions of slim muscles in his arms and shoulders, he was tone and fit. He had neat bronze colored hair and jade eyes. He seemed mature, handsome, and intuitive. Expressions plain.

"Meet Abarai Talim and Taiyo Katen," said Sensei with a flick of his hand.

"Konnichiwa," greeted the girl. "I'm Talim. No honorifics, onegai." She winked. By the swoons and contempt sighs in the room, she had a newly required fan club.

The boy sighed. "I'm Taiyo Katen." He said nothing more than that. Giggles were heard.

Sensei acknowledged them. "They're two seats in the back by Ryuzaki and Kurosaki. Go now, please."

Talim gladly glided down the isle with Katen following her unenthusiastically. The teal-haired girl sat behind Sakuno with another inviting wink. Sakuno blushed and turned around to hide it but no avail. The bronze-haired Katen sat behind Amatsu, they gave each other small, familiar smiles.

From where he sat, Ryoma was scrutinizing the three: Amatsu, Talim, and Katen. They seemed like a perfect fit of jigsaw puzzles, finally pieced together. Arriving one after another, assumingly acquainted with each other, and just...happier.

Ryoma groaned inwardly. Things got more complicated as the week wore on.

"Okay, spill it. We all know you three know each other," Tomoka demanded, with her hands on her hips. When homeroom ended and Sensei had finally left, Tomoka had marched right up to the three newcomers.

"Why, I don't know what you're talking about," Amatsu said in a mannered, theatrical voice. "How could you say such a thing, Tomoka-san."

Sakuno couldn't help but laugh at her friend's antics, but she was curious, too.

"Mou, Kurosaki-chan," Mizuno complained. "Just tell us how you know each other."

"What's the magic word?" Amatsu chimed playfully.

"Please?" Kachiro guessed.

"Pretty please?" Mizuno asked.

"Tennis?" Horio said.

"I'm confused," said Sakuno.

"No, it's takoyaki, oh well." Amatsu shrugged and said, "Talim and Katen are my childhood friends. I knew they were enrolling here at Seigaku, along with two more who are not in this classroom. Actually, Katen is my-per say-_adoptive brother._"

To comfirm her words, Talim and Katen nodded. Katen said gratefully to Sakuno, "Thank you for becoming friends with Amatsu-sama. After all I heard, she's been causing such a mess around here, it's nice to know she's being watched over."

Sakuno blushed self-consciously and stuttered, "Oh-I-um-a-ano, your welcome." She bowed her head bashfully.

"Who are the other two?" asked Horio.

Amatsu shot an inquiring glance at Katen, who sighed.

"Eni and Esa are in room 1-3," he supplied.

"Hopefully, they're not attracting much attention," Talim added thoughtfully. "They're half-American and half-Japanese, and they tend to draw a crowd with their gold hair."

Amatsu chuckled and told her classmates, "I'll invite them to join us for lunch. I made more snacks!" That was a happy afterthought. Amatsu adored sweets.

* * *

><p>"Lunchtime!" sang Tomoka happily, skipping merrily down the hallway with her friends in tow, carrying their packs. Everyone agreed they should eat outside since it was a wonderful day with a nice breeze and fresh air. Warm smiles graced all lips. Amatsu, Katen, and Talim were on a lookout for their gold-haired friends.<p>

Amatsu had her hand over her eyes like a scout trooper with pretend binoculars. "Hm...I don't see them anywhere. I wonder if they got lost. I texted Eni to meet us out in the first year hallway."

"Found them," said Katen out of the blue.

Everyone swiveled around as if the targets had appeared by them. "Eh? Where?" Talim asked.

Katen was standing next to a opened-door classroom behind the rest of the group, pointing a finger inside warily. The freshmans walked back to him. "Hora."

Inside the classroom was a miraculously large, upbeat crowd centered around something. Actually, _someone._ Two of them to be precise. Sitting in desks next to each other were twins. Chitters sounded in the atmosphere.

It was fairly easy to tell they were twins, you didn't have to be a genius to figure that out. Both looked the same. Golden blonde hair that almost resembled yellow. Glinting onyx orbs. Healthy peach skin. They definitely looked both Asian and American. But the boy had boyishly ruffled hair that sometimes fell over his eyes that he had to flick it away. He seemed of a lax nature due to his slouching posture, but, like Katen, he was fit and his arms had lines and dips of developing muscles. He wasn't stocky or buff, but similar to Fuji Shuusuke. You just couldn't tell from far away. He was a young now, but maybe five years from now he would be a tall, handsome man.

The girl had a fairy type of outlook. A sweet, pixie face. Judgmentally, she was a tad shorter than Amatsu. Her hair was cut straight at her neck and her bangs was kept out of her hair by a red bow tied around her head. She didn't seem like someone who would play sports, but if clumsy, shy Sakuno could, then anything was possible.

"Can you say something in English again?" a girl asked amongst the crowd surrounding the new transfer students.

The boy, Eni, smiled bemusedly and said in English, "_**I like the hamburgers back in New York. It's not the same here.**__" _He shrugged indifferently as some people laughed wholesomely.

From outside the classroom where Amatsu's old and new friends perched, Talim rolled her eyes. "Show offs."

Katen whistled sharply, and whatever affect it had worked on the twins. They both stood up and glanced past the crowd. Eni grinned impishly at their presence. Esa's gaze locked on Amatsu and Katen, seemingly joyful to see them.

"Excuse us," Eni said grandly. He winked. "Time for me and my sister to split." Protests were heard but they let the twins shimmy through the audience and finally being able to breath freedom from their itchy grasps. Esa ran to meet the Seigaku locals and her other friends.

"Amatsu!" she gushed in fluent Japanese, and jumped to give a startled Amatsu a hug (or a tackle). Amatsu dropped her bag reflexively as Esa wrapped her small arms around Amatsu's neck and the momentum made Esa and her spin around. Amatsu was shouting in alarm, "Hey! Whoa! Calm down, Esa!"

"Amatsu-sama!" Katen tried helping Amatsu being choked to death by a hug. The audience: Talim, Eni, Sakuno, Tomoka, and the freshman tennis trio were suppressing hysterical laughs or smiles.

"Meet Eni and Esa Valence," Amatsu managed to say breathlessly after Esa released her and was being chastised by Katen. She pouted, not seeing what's wrong.

Eni nodded at the Seigaku residents. He wasn't like Katen who was always being somber and yet delt with by childish antics (like a second ago). He was more down-to-earth and playful and kind and tried to see both sides of the spectrum. "Yaa...konnichiwa," he said in perfect, non-accented Japanese. "It's finally nice to meet you." He eyed Sakuno quizzically. "You're...Ryuzaki Sakuno, right?"

Sakuno beamed. "Hai!" A blush was also present because two beauties that might as well be models were near her. The twins weren't the only beauties. A.k.a: Amatsu, Talim, Katen, and herself (but she didn't see it like that).

Eni smiled back. "So your grandmother is gonna be my new coach, huh? I heard she's viscous. Is that true?" Katen was listening intently, too.

"She's like a demon!" Horio exclaimed. He shuddered. He had her for three years running. And now for four years and never ending.

"Or the devil," muttered Kachiro.

"S-she's not that b-bad," Sakuno defended her obaa-chan. But she could see their perspectives. A clear picture of Ryuzaki Sumire yelling in a earth-rattling voice to get moving, her wrinkles more prominent as she scrunched her face up for people to fear her. Dark tendrils of evil loomed from her. "Obaa-chan teaches math really g-good, t-too." That didn't help her friends as they conjured up a mental picture of Ryuzaki-sensei.

Shudder.

Picking up her bag, Amatsu patted down her shirt and inclined her head down the hallway. "Maybe we should talk outside while we eat? I made snacks!"

"Lunch!" all chorused.

Sakuno helped with introductions as the group of ten freshmans found a nice shade under a sakura tree to eat their bentos. Amatsu's friends seemed acquainted with Sakuno (Amatsu probably babbled about her) and vice versa with Sakuno's friends. Everyone clicked into compatible pieces of gears as they began to learn about each other. Amatsu brought out her lunch pack-about four medium boxes-and shared happily, saying her cooking was a pride of hers, just like tennis. Sakuno was aspired by her neatly made and arranged onigiri and tempura. Amatsu even packed American-styled foods for the twins like deli sandwiches and chips, and had given them beforehand.

"Do you play tennis, also, Katen-kun?" Kachiro asked him. He was slightly intimidated to speak to such a taller and better looking boy his age, but Katen was polite at least.

"Hai," he replied. "Amatsu-sama got me into it when we were young."

"Me, too!" Talim dropped in goodnaturedly. "Our families- Amatsu's and mine-are old time friends and we would play tennis everyday since I could remember! Literally every single person in our family circle knows how to play!"

"And I _still_ beat your butt," a melodious voice behind Talim said cheekily.

"Hey!" Talim protested and turned to complain at Amatsu.

Katen leaned over to speak in a truthful whisper to Sakuno, Tomoka, and the other boys. "Amatsu-sama is very talented. She has won awards and medals, even a-"

"Katen," chided Amatsu's voice like a mother, hearing him, "don't boast, it's rude." Katen sighed at that.

"What kind of tennis do you base yourself on-like your styles?" Horio asked the newcommoners.

Amatsu's brows rose. "Hm? Oh, I'm a all-rounder. Esa and Eni do serve and volley and net play evenly." She mused at her words. "Katen is a-um-offensive baseliner, but sometimes he's an all-rounder if you think about it loosely. Talim is a combination of net play and a baseliner."

Eni quirked a quizzical brow at his friend's choice of terms but said nothing.

"What about you Saku-chan?" Amatsu asked her. "I'd never seen you play a match yet, and I'm curious."

Sakuno flushed at the attention from the five foreigners. "Me? I-I think I play defensive or offensive baseliner, but I prefer doubles."

"Because you want to have a helping hand?" Esa guessed. Sakuno nodded and Esa beamed at her. "Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Me and Eni usually play doubles, but here, I'm not so sure now."

"Oh! That reminds me," said Amatsu suddenly, a lightbulb blinking on. "Ryuzaki-sensei made arrangements so I could train with the boys. Maybe that could apply to you two."

Talim grinned thoughtfully. "Hm...Seigaku regulars, huh?" She lapsed into her own world. Katen told the others to ignore her at her 'dramatic musings'.

"Why is it that you're Kurosaki-chan's adoptive brother?" Mizuno asked Katen. Katen's expression became distant. The only people who were listening were Sakuno, Kachiro, and Esa. Tomoka and Horio were of to the side, arguing about something stupid (again), getting into each others' faces on their feet. And Eni was making unhelpful comments and watching the amusing show. Talim was still in her devilish little fantasies. Amatsu had her back towards the group, cross-legged, eating her bento, but the look in her eyes were the same as Katen's.

Katen spoke softly, "My okaa-sama died when I was little due to lung failure, and my otou-san couldn't handle taking care of a baby after his wife died so the Kurosakis took me in. They're my legal guardians, but my otou-san, who is still alive, pays child support. I've never met him." Something about his detached tone said _And I don't plan to._

Sakuno felt a verge of tears endangering the rim of her eyes. She felt the same way-it _was_ the same way. Her kaa-san had passed away when she was young and her otou-san was a busy, hard-working man, always on a business trip and going to meetings. That's was why she lived with her obaa-chan, because her otou-san had barely anytime to be with her but worked to support her.

"Ah, gomen nasai. I shouldn't have asked," Mizuno admitted, ashamed about being nosy.

"It's fine," Katen said, but now he was lost in his own thoughts, his jade eyes loosing spark.

Tomoka took the time to end her heated argument with blabber-face Horio and cry out, "Mou, I miss Ryoma-sama!"

"T-Tomo-chan, we saw him before lunch started," Sakuno tried to reason with her friend, slightly exasperated.

"He's always doing something about tennis," Tomoka grumbled, crossing her arms childishly, and plopped to the ground. What she didn't consider was that the people around her revolved and based their lives into tennis like the planets gravitating around the sun. It was impossible to leave tennis.

Eni scooted closer to the woven group. "I can't wait for tennis practice this afternoon. Are you gonna be there today, Amatsu?"

"You bet," Amatsu promised. She grinned in anticipation. She could play without being a written off as a masquerade-wannabe (Tomoka sort of apologized about making rude comments about her when she was the capped player but it was because she supported 'Ryoma-sama' one-hundred percent). She relayed her thoughts about Ryoma, who was probably still expecting a full, non-disruptive match against her. She'll be waiting, too.

Ironic or not, they could be twins, Amatsu and Ryoma.

* * *

><p>"Ten~nis. Ten~nis," Talim sang gleefully like a little kid given candy. She skipped to the boys' tennis courts in her athletic attire. A green sports tee, running shorts, wristbands, sneakers, and her sports bag slung over her shoulder, not weighing her down. Esa was dressed in a yellow argyle-printed shirt and white shorts and expensive sneakers. Amatsu- in her obvious tennis outfit she'd always portrayed-and Sakuno led the way. Sakuno was going since the girls' tennis team was still doing free practice for the entire week. Sadly (or thankfully), Tomoka had to go straight home to babysit her little brothers. Katen and Eni had gone with Horio, Kachiro, and Mizuno earlier to find the courts and get introduced after changing. Amatsu felt wistful that her two friends were actually in a team. That didn't bug Talim and Esa, though. They just wanted to be able to play.<p>

The four girls turned a corner and immediately found the green-wired fence of the bustling courts and the storage shacks. The courts had a beautiful view of a hem of sakura trees and the sky was refreshing with white puffy clouds. Spring was in full blossom.

Amatsu had quite a greeting as she stepped into the territory. Did they know they were speaking clearly enough as if she was standing right next to them?

"Nya! Nya! Hora, Oishi! Tezuka-buchou's little cousin!"

"E-Eiji, we know, calm down."

"I still can't get my mind around that Tezuka has a cute, badass cousin."

"That's because you can't understand anything, loud-mouth baka."

"What was that, Mamushi?"

"Fshuuuuuu."

Amatsu sighed collectively. Amatsu and her friends entered the courts, the male members glanced their direction with guarded looks and started whispering. Ignoring the reactions, Amatsu sought out her cousin talking to Ryuzaki and Inui. Amatsu explained about Talim and Esa in a subtle manner about their plights similar to hers, and requested they also have the same conditions as her. Ryuzaki freefully rewarded it to her. Inui was staring at Amatsu the entire time. She wanted to shudder at what thoughts the spectacle mime-faced data player wanted from her. Data? Of course. Tezuka told his cousin prior that today his team would be doing a basic training schedule his team always practiced at the beginning of the year. Amatsu set off to tell her girls.

Esa and Talim were stretching, Sakuno was helping the blonde on the ground as she touched past her toes. Talim was like a pretzel, shaping whatever form she wanted effortlessly. Doing warm-up cartwheels and round-offs so easily like walking blind. Sakuno was admiring her. Truthfully, some boys were gawking at the teal-haired girl from afar as she twirled in the air.

Out from the corner of her vision, as Amatsu and Sakuno switched with Talim and Esa to stretch, she caught sight of Katen and Eni wearing plain tennis clothing, t-shirts, shorts, and comfortable sneakers, nothing extra. They followed the other freshmans to help on the courts. Amatsu wondered if were stuck picking up balls during matches or sweeping duty. Maybe Amatsu could get a good word in to her cousin and make sure that won't happen. Although, Kunimitsu briefly knew how well Katen could perform.

"So what do we do first?" Talim asked as the girls huddled together for instructions.

"Kunimitsu says the boys are doing a basic training today planned by Inui-senpai," Amatsu recalled.

Sakuno paled at her words. "Oh, no."

Esa looked at the wooden girl. "What's wrong, Ryuzaki-chan?"

"I-If Inui-senpai made the schedule today," Sakuno gulped, "then that means..."

"Gather around!" Tezuka ordered. All followed his call. The boys lined up, the regulars up front in their blue-and-white Seigaku jerseys. Amatsu and the three girls stayed at the side, leaning against the fence. Amatsu analyzed each regulars down the line.

Kind-hearted and worrisome Oishi Shuichiro. Kunimitsu informed Amatsu about his friend long ago, stating he was like a mother hen (Kunimitsu made her promise not to tell anyone he said that). He had a bowl cut and his bangs were sticking out like fangs. Oishi's doubles partner and best friend, the friendly and childish red-headed Kikumaru Eiji. Amatsu heard about his amazing acrobatic ability. Combined with Oishi cleverness and reliability, they were the unstoppable Golden Pair. He had a bandage on his cheek for some reason and always talked like he was a cat. Amatsu thought that was sweet.

Next to Kikumaru was Momoshiro Takeshi. Momo, who is strong and vibrant. Admittfully, he was strong. During their match together, Amatsu also concluded he used his wits and sly antics to win but she had cancelled him out with her swift and precise operation. She didn't know the rascal's true tactics, yet. Besides Momo was a scary-faced, rippling muscled, second-year that argued with Momo previously. Kaidoh Kaoru. He looked hard and lean like a tiger, but Kunimitsu had told bits about his manners and moves. He acted like a snake for which he is nicknamed the 'Viper'.

Fuji Shuusuke looked sweet and prince-like. He was the shortest of third-years and was one of Kunimitsu's closest friends. His eyes were closed right now, and he was smiling his mysteriously charming smile endlessly. Amatsu felt confused around him.

Inui Sadaharu was standing straight and tall at the front with Ryuzaki-sensei and Kunimitsu. He was a creepy and complicated book Amatsu would never want to read.

Last, but not least, was Echizen Ryoma, the extraordinaire freshman regular. He was so short compared to his teammates and looked utterly bored. He had his Fila cap down low and his hands tucked in his pockets.

Inui cleared his throat. "Today we are doing some basic exercise to rebuild reflexes and contrast any differences of developing over the spring break."

Translation: More data for me.

He went on, glancing down at his teammates. "Regulars will be doing the color coordination training with weights. Second-years will play the organized practice matches posted earlier, and freshmans, get ready to pick up balls."

"Hai!"

The members dispersed to do their routines.

After getting permission from her friends, Amatsu walked up to Tezuka and said, "Can my friends and I join your regulars' training? That includes Katen and Eni." Both boys heard their names and glanced up expectedly.

Her cousin peered down at her, considering. "You may."

Momo came up behind her, exclaiming, "Ah! You don't want to! Trust me!"

Amatsu glanced up at the tall second-year. "Eh? Why?" Sakuno had warned her about joining the regulars training but she wouldn't elaborate clearly. She had succumbed to Amatsu's authentic, crestfallen frown when she refused at first and finally allowed a "O-Okay".

"Momo-chan-senpai, let her. I want to see what happens," called out a voice.

Momo turned around to exclaim at his kohai. "Echizen, we can't let girls feel the wrath of Inui! That's crazy!"

Ryoma's piercing gaze landed on a curious Amatsu and shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with it. They want to train with us, so let them. Buchou agreed."

Amatsu felt numb, something was going on that the Seigaku members weren't telling her. What did Momo say about Inui again? Inui plus a mystery was _super_ bad. And if Ryoma was agreeing to Amatsu's wishes then something fishy was going on. The concept of rivals was for your rival to burn in hell, not let them do what they wanted.

Regulars took up court A, B, and C. Seconds-years occupied the other available courts. Freshmans, such as Horio, Kachiro, and Mizuno, were ready to clean up the scores of tennis balls beginning to litter the courts. The trio looked as pale as Sakuno, admonishing Amatsu and her friends with the warning look in their eyes.

Inui held a cardboard box with weights and blue fabric velcro attachments. "Grab at least one kilogram training weights to begin with for each of your wrists and ankles and we will start from there."

Talim examined the weights attached to her wrists and ankles and ran in a circle to test it out. "Easy, easy."

Amatsu inclined her head. "Me and my friends will take court C. Follow me guys." Her friends trailed behind her, stretching their limber arms and knotted backs. Kikumaru stared after them.

"Nya. Why are you letting them play, Tezuka?" he asked, confused. "They don't know Inui will kill them in one shot."

Inui cleared his throat and answered instead of the stoic buchou. "They intrigue me. I do wonder about their types of styles and how adaptable they are to our concepts."

"You mean how you torture us with Inui juice?" muttered Kaidoh glumly as he overheard.

The ones chosen to serve the ball for this exercise was Ryuzaki-sensei on A court, Inui on B court, and Amatsu on C court. Their side of the court had a basket of tennis balls color-coded with yellow, blue, and red lines matching to the cones set in a loose triangle at the service line. The servers would shoot any type of ball to the opposing player and they would have to correctly return the ball to the cone. They had to say the color right, hit the cone correctly, and not miss on any circumstances. They had to return twenty balls in all, but in between that were some tricks to catch the player off guard.

Kaidoh was up first on Ryuzaki-sensei's court. Oishi on Inui's and Katen on Amatsu's. Amatsu winked at Katen for him to loosen up his passive expression; he sighed and stood in the middle of the baseline.

"Ready?" said Ryuzaki-sensei.

"Set!" Inui called out.

"Go!" Amatsu shouted and served.

The first wave of serves on each court were pretty normal. All the players returned their shots without batting their eyelashes.

"Blue!" shouted Kaidoh lowly.

"Red!" declared Oishi, and swung.

"Yellow!" Katen said calmly, and his racket tossed the ball to hit the top of the yellow cone.

"Tsugi," said Amatsu with a small smile as she watched her brother rally the balls concisely. Katen only did a couple of strides and he was in range with a ball, his swings were simple and smooth. Oishi was determining the path of the ball and had perfect control and accuracy; Kaidoh was no different.

Sakuno was watching while standing next to Abarai-chan and Esa-chan. She cheered for every member in the training field. Hopefully they would _not_ miss. Because if they did...no, they'll have to do their best or _else._

Gratefully, Oishi was the first to finish his score, not failing this time. Kikumaru proudly congratulated his partner and said how boring it was that he didn't see him running for his life for water. Katen was too keen to fall into the tricks set by the servers (his was Amatsu) by saying false statements and trying to distract him. Kaidoh was almost done until...

"Wrong color, Kaidoh," Ryuzaki said disapprovingly as a blue-striped ball toppled into the red cone. Kaidoh might have excellent control and power, but he didn't have keen senses.

Kaidoh paled and gulped. Suddenly an ominous aura engulfed him, sending chills up his spine. He turned to see Inui towering over him with a wide, elated grin and holding a glass with bubbly, steaming green liquid inside. Kaidoh was like a small insignificant snake cornered by a hawk with glasses.

"Heh, heh. For your mistake, Kaidoh," said the data player, "one glass of Super Inui Juice."

"Eh? What's that?" voiced Talim as the regulars swallowed nervously and took an involuntary step back. The few people who didn't were the tensai, buchou, and Amatsu and her friends who were curious and skittish at the weird and revolting color the drink illuminated.

Sakuno said warily, "That's Inui-senpai's specially made juice. If someone makes a mistake or is in last place in a competition..." she exhaled shakily, "you drink _that._"

"It looks like a miniature swamp," Eni observed unhelpfully. "With acid steam and green bubbles."

Saying those words did not make Kaidoh feel any braver. Swallowing down his anxiety, Kaidoh took the glass with a trembling hand and gulped the entire glass down in one mouthful.

Kaidoh was so angry and disgusted he hissed while running to the taps, "_FSSSSSHHHHH!_"

Sweatdrop.

A uncomprehending look was on Amatsu's face like a little child. "Was it that bad?"

Inui held up a glass of Super Inui juice. "Super Inui juice helps boosts stamina and accuracy." He grinned devilishly. "An upgraded level of the original Inui juice."

Ryuzaki-sensei got over her mild shock. "Everyone, back to work!"

The continuing set of players was Fuji, Momo, and Eni. The three boys were solid and firm (well, all smiles and easy-going attitude for Fuji) on the outside as they prepared themselves, but inside, they were falling into a pit of anxiety with Super Inui juice about to swallow them up.

_Must. Not. Miss,_ they thought determinedly.

"Ike!" They all hit their first round of balls. Momo's power shot rattled the cone. Eni was bland but edgy as he got his ball to bounce of his cone. Fuji-well-was Fuji. His ball didn't miss.

"Ah!" Kikumaru complained about a minute later. "Fujiko did it again!" Fuji purposely missed the cone.

Inui held a filled glass of Super Inui juice to the smiling tensai. "You wanted to taste it again, Fuji?"

"Ah," he agreed and took the cup. Eyes peered at him as he downed the glass like it was water. "Saa...that's very good. Better than the last one."

"Liar!" shrieked about everyone.

Momo was distracted the his senpai's weird immunity that his shot zoomed past the red cone he aimed for. "Ah! Kuso!"

Inui had already noticed and was standing behind the powerhouse deviously as he held up a glass of steaming green stuff.

"GAH!"

Trying not to loose his pace, Eni kept reminders to himself. _Eye on the ball!_

"Going up!" Amatsu said and lobbed a ball. But Amatsu knew her friend's reflexes were formidable as he ran up and jumped to smash the ball. "Yellow!" The next one. "Blue!" Eni did not slow down as Amatsu sped up in serves-one after another. He saw her movements in her wrist and calculated the direction of each ball. "Red!"

"I'm finished!" Eni exclaimed happily. He survived the dangerous trek to Inui Mountain of Doom.

"Aw..." complained his twin, "and I wanted to see what happened if Eni lost."

While Fuji took over for Inui on court B, the data player was scribbling down notes, musing to himself. _Hm...it seems like the foreigners have good balance and are adaptable to weights. Their forms are too relaxed and informal, though. Not one of them missed yet, so no reaction data for their tolerance on my Super Inui juice..._

Third set of players was Ryoma on court A, Kikumaru on Court B, and...

"Come on, Saku-chan!" Amatsu tugged on the auburn-haired girl's slim arm. "Just try!"

Sakuno shook her head, tugging back. "B-But-I-"

Amatsu pulled out her pouty face, contrasting to her serenic face broke Sakuno's defenses. "A-Alright."

Ryuzaki-sensei noticed her granddaughter timidly walking on court C with wooden legs. "You can do it, Sakuno-chan!"

Being given blessings from her obaa-chan, Sakuno took a deep breath and readied her stance, facing Amatsu from across the net. "Right."

Amatsu had a ball in her hand and waved her fingers at her friend. "Relax! Relax! I'll go easy on you!"

Glancing sideways from his position on court A, Ryoma seemed agitated and...worried? _That brat letting Ryuzaki play, how stupid, Ryuzaki can't handle the job._

Really? (Skeptical voice.)

"Here!" The underhand serve was meant to be 'easy' for Sakuno. As Amatsu watched it turned out to be 'too easy' for Sakuno. The braided-haired girl ran to the corner and called out, "Blue!" and returned the ball perfectly to the correct cone.

"I'm not giving up either! Hoi, hoi!" Kikumaru twirled in the air and his racket made contact with his target. "Yellow!" Talim was watching him intently, her brows raised questionably.

Off to the side, Katen and Eni were together, observing. Katen had his gaze narrowed at Sakuno's form. He saw her movements, determined but agile. He took note of the weights she wore because she wanted to be like the rest of them. Maybe it was a bad idea because of her soft muscles and thin stature.

"Eni...do you think-?" he trailed off in his thought.

Eni rubbed his chin, slightly frowning. "I don't know. Amatsu _is_ going easy on her."

_I better be careful,_ Amatsu thought to herself, her serenic face turned serious for a second as she saw her friend run back and forth across the court. She seemed slower compared to the regulars and her other friends, but she kept up and paced herself to not fail. Sakuno's sweet face was concentrated and keen. Amatsu saw her eyes held a bright spark. She wasn't the clumsy, shy Sakuno that Amatsu met, but a graceful and brave version of her on court. _I wonder what happened if she trained at the Academy..._

Sakuno counted the returns she made in her head. _Five! Six! Seven! _When playing tennis, her mind was trained on the ball coming towards her. She remembered not to think of anything else. _Everyone is watching!_

Ryoma's gaze darted to her whenever he had a chance while he was also playing. _Not bad. And I thought she would trip first._

Amatsu shot a slow volley near the net, Sakuno leaned forward in a rush to intercept it. The weights slowed her down so she dived for it.

"Yellow!" she cried. But the ball lobbed lightly over the net-not much control. Would it hit the cone?

"Ah! Ryuzaki-chan!" cried Kachiro. Members paused in their activities (except the other two players training: Ryoma and Kikumaru) and leaned forward in anticipation. Frantic.

_Whoops, _Amatsu wanted to curse herself,_ that was a little over the belt._

_Thunk._ The tennis ball barely touched the yellow cone. Sighs of relief were heard. She did it!

_Fifteen._ Sakuno stood up and smiled sunnily. "Keep going, Amatsu-chan!" she said cheerfully. "Only five more to go!" Her sapphire-eyed friend smiled encouragingly and continued, but not as tricky and absent-minded.

Ryoma had almost missed when he saw Sakuno in trouble. Ryuzaki-sensei was relentless as she attacked him with fierce shots and taunting shouts. "Come on, Nanjirou's brat! He could do better than this!"

Ryoma gritted his teeth angrily. Nanjirou's brat, huh?

One time, Ryuzaki did a high lob, Ryoma waited and jumped up to reach it. The weights annoyed him but he was able to jump.

"Blue!" he said and did a powerful, cunning smash. It could have made Momo proud or jealous. It knocked down the blue cone, skidding it back a few feet.

Ryoma straightened up, and smirked at his sensei. "20 balls. I'm done."

Ryuzaki-sensei scoffed at him. "Still, Nanjirou could have done better. Stupid as he is."

Kikumaru did a backflip and flew across the court. The more Talim watched, the more she itched to demand a match from him. The second Kikumaru and Sakuno were done (and safe) she marched right up to court C and said lowly to Amatsu, "My turn." Her friend raised a brow but understood her steel-like will.

"I'm not going easy on you!" Amatsu shot a very high lob. Talim smirked. That was both their intentions.

"What the-" Horio words were lost as he saw the teal-haired girl fly up in one, effortless twirl and returned the ball back upside-down, her clothes and hair swaying in the air. She jumped higher than Kikumaru, and made defying gravity easy like trying to walk.

"Sugoi!" Sakuno gasped.

Kikumaru gaped toward the sky at the airborne girl. "Waaa! Oishi! Oishi! Hora! She's flying!"

"I-I see it." Oishi sweatdropped at his amazed friend.

Amatsu didn't wait for her friend to land, she serve up in the air, in any direction.

"Humph." Talim twirled again and let her arm stretch for her racket to hit the ball back, she narrowed her eyes at the spinning ball, trying to read the colors. "Red!" A mid-air cartwheel. "Yellow!" She landed and jumped again, twisting her body. "Blue!"

"Don't mess up~" Esa sang irritably. Talim glared at her between her free-flying, teal locks. This was the reason her hair was short and put into side pig-tails. Because she was a natural gymnast and she didn't want distractions.

"I wanna learn how to do that!" Kikumaru whined like a pouty kid, puffing out his cheeks. His acrobatic techniques didn't go as far as staying airborne for more than a few seconds or do impossibly flexible moves _still_ airborne.

"She's like a cat," commented Inui. "Similar to Kikumaru?"

"Monkey, actually," corrected Katen, who was standing near the data player. "In the air she's like a monkey. If you look closer, despite her lithe frame, her shots are very powerful." True to his word, Talim's returns were aggressive, making loud smacks in off the cones and bouncing away. Inui wrote down the boy's every word. "That's when she combines her momentum as a snake." The look in Katen's jade eyes were distant. "Her muscles are very thick and compact like a snake. We call her the Saru Hebi Yokai, because she can get a little overboard in attacks and threats as a monkey/snake monster. So basically, a yokai."

Inui scribbled it down. "Did she ever take gymnastics?"

Katen shook his head. "She was born with flexibility. She only ever used it in tennis."

Inui readjusted his glasses. "She spins and twirls in the air to add extra power by at least 15%. Her control is average. The height of her jump is impressive, better than Momo's. She doesn't catapults herself like him either." He drowned himself in new data. "Hmm...il data."

Katen left him alone to boil in his thoughts. He stared at the teal-haired girl, flying so high in the air. Amatsu resorted to low volleys but Talim would angle herself easily to catch them upside-down, then flip, barely touching the ground, and be in the air again. Katen knew her style of play. He was her doubles partner in the Academy after all.

"Yay!" Talim said happily and flipped to the ground, landing like it was nothing. "I'm done!" She grinned and gave herself a thumbs-up.

"That was impressive," Fuji remarked like Inui prior. Tezuka was standing passively beside him.

"Huh? When did you get done with training?" Momo asked his senpais.

"While everyone was gawking at-um-what's her name again?" Fuji asked.

"My name's Abarai Talim!" shouted Talim and waved her arms for people to see her. Esa laughed at her. "Remember me!"

* * *

><p>Excited chatters rang in the tidy courts as members cleaned up for the day. The girls: Amatsu, Sakuno, Talim, and Esa changed by going to the girls' changing room, then waited outside Seishun Gakuen's front gates. The sun was about to go down, only an hour before seven. The color contrasted beautiful with Japan's green foliage and modern washed-out buildings. Talim was hyped about today, talking endlessly. Esa was glad she survived training and didn't have to drink that Inui juice. Amatsu was commenting how good Sakuno was today, bravely taking on the regulars' challenge but contributed little. Sakuno was waiting for her obaa-chan so they could go home. It was the same for Amatsu and her friends, waiting for the boys: Katen and Eni.<p>

"Where do you live?" Sakuno asked Amatsu.

Amatsu said, "About thirty minutes away from here. In the morning, I take the bus and I do whatever I want in the afternoon. Sometimes my okaa-sama drives me and Katen to school on one of her whims."

Sakuno laughed sweetly at that description. "Whims?"

Amatsu smiled bemusedly. "Hai. My okaa-sama is looks just like me except for my eyes. Some people mistake us as sisters." She laughed in a certain way, between a small giggle and a restrained chuckle. "But I have both of my parents personalities. So I have some of my tou-san in me."

"Amatsu-sama!" called Katen's voice. He and Eni were getting close by, wearing their school uniforms, and shouldering their bags.

"Katen-san lives with you?" Sakuno asked.

Amatsu nodded. "Hai. Talim doesn't live that far from our home. Eni and Esa, too." She shrugged. "But in my household, everyone comes and goes as they like. When I speak of my family, it's not only the people who are blood-related to me, but anyone I grew up with in my childhood. I consider Talim my sister."

"That's..." Sakuno searched for the word, "wonderful." Amatsu gave her that dreamy smile.

As the boys reached the girls, two black sedans pulled up on the road at the gates. Amatsu glanced up and said, "Our ride's here. See you tomorrow, Saku-chan."

"Bye-bye!" Sakuno waved after her friends as they piled into the sedan. The twins in one; Amatsu, Katen, and Talim in another.

"How was school today, my lady?" asked the driver. He was about in his mid-thirties, but could pass for younger, and was very toned with slim, stone muscles under his casual uniform-a black shirt and long pants. He had untamed, pointy black locks, striped tattoos, a tattoo one on his face that had the numbers six and nine reflecting each other, and old scars running down the side of his face. Why on earth Amatsu had a driver like him was unknown.

Amatsu was sitting in a slouched posture, staring out the window at the passing scenery, her sapphire eyes dull in absent thoughts. She was the one referred to as 'my lady'. Katen and Talim were sitting next to her, quiet, and caught in stupors like her, staring at nothing in particular. The atmosphere was different than before at school. More sober and placid.

"Very interesting," she murmured, and continued to wander in her thoughts. "Are we picking up my brothers along the way, Hisagi-san?"

"Hai, my lady," he answered. "We will arrive at the junior and elementary divisions in ten more minutes. Oh, and Rukia-san asked me to tell you that Byakuya-sama called again."

Amatsu's expression didn't change, only the slight, irritated twitch of her eyebrow. "Houtou? What does he want now?"

Hisagi glanced in the rear-view mirror. "The same, probably."

"Tch." Amatsu's full lips nearly formed a sneer, but made a frown. "I'm already attending a new school, what more does he want?"

"He should leave her alone," Katen muttered to no one.

Talim re-animated and placated them. "Guys, don't start this again."

_I never wanted it to start._ Amatsu sighed. She just wanted to see her brothers again after a long day.

* * *

><p><strong>I was thinking the next chapter should be when Amatsu goes home and it explains some things about her background. If you don't understand some words in dialogue, it's probably in Japanese so look it up since I'm lazy to type it out for you. In future chapters will be OC character profiles at the end. Please review.<strong>


	4. Chapter 3: At Home

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the plot and OC's (it's easy to tell which ones they are). This, in a way, is a three-way crossover, but I can't tell you what the third story crossover topic yet, but you can mighty guess on your own time. I'll explain bits about Amatsu and her background along the way. Please review, I want to hear your thoughts (because I can't hear you talking to me). The title says everything.**

Chapter 3

At Home

Amatsu was waiting outside of the gates of a junior high school, it bordered next to a grade school. Behind her, parked along the road, was the sedan. Katen was leaning against the car door, waiting, along side her, like a companion he was. The sedan occupied by the Valence twins took them straight home. The sapphire-eyed girl looked out towards the school expectedly, patient. The sun was still out, and the afternoon air was refreshing and warm.

A child-like figure approached from the junior high campus, and Amatsu found herself smiling with a bright shine in her stunning eyes.

"Hikaru!" she called out and waved.

"Onee-chan!" a young boy's voice called back. Running towards her was a twelve-year-old boy. He had short tufts of black spikes that sometimes drooped over his wide cinnamon eyes. His face had a perfect set of cheekbones and aligned nose. He was more of their father than Amatsu was. He was dressed in his school uniform, his tie loose (he called it a torture instrument), and looked happy.

Hikaru ran up to give her a warm hug. He was shorter than her by a couple of centimeters, but he was thinner and lean, so he always looked like a little kid compared to her.

"How was Student Council?" she asked him, being naturally polite to him.

His soft-colored eyes shone. "It was great! We're thinking about setting a Sakura Festival by the end of this week since the trees are in full bloom!"

Amatsu chuckled, and Katen walked up behind her. Hikaru beamed at him. "Hi, Katen-nii!"

"Good afternoon, young master," he replied.

Amatsu shot him a sour look. "Stop with the titles. And why do you keep calling me 'Amatsu-sama'? Saying my name is fine."

Katen flushed. He protested, "De-demo, Amatsu-sama, you're my mistress! I can't just call you-!"

"You're our brother," Hikaru finished before him. Both siblings looked at him with tender eyes.

Katen surrendered. "Yeah, I know. And I'm grateful."

"Speaking of brothers," Amatsu broke the atmosphere abruptly, she glanced around in an entire circle, "where's the youngest one of all?"

"Ah! You don't think he got sidetracked again?" Hikaru gasped. "This morning he saw an abandoned dog on the street and he wanted to take it to school with him!"

"Nani?" Amatsu squeaked and looked at her brother disbelievingly. "You didn't tell me that? He was probably late for homeroom!"

"Amatsu-nee-sama!" echoed a voice from down the road.

"Tatsuya!" Amatsu ran up to the little kid and plucked him up in her arms. He was dramatically smaller than Hikaru, only nine-years-old. He had thick, messy sunset hair, and small, dark violet eyes shaped like almonds, like her. He had a cherubic face, healthy peach skin, and an innocent aura clinging around him. His voice was cheerful and bright. "Hi-hi!"

"Oh, hi-hi." Amatsu hugged him closely. She noticed his school uniform was disheveled and had tiny cuts and dirt stains. He was happy, though. "What happened to you?"

Tatsuya's gem-like eyes gleamed; he smiled angelically. "A little baby bird dropped from it's nest, and I helped it get back home. It was kinda hard because the tree was tall and had too many branches. But I did it!"

His older siblings had different reactions than him. Amatsu was freaking out, Hikaru was exasperated, and Katen was sweatdropping.

"N-Now you're all dirty!" Amatsu exclaimed. "We leave you in tutorials and this is what we get? You have to take a bath right away!" She herded her brothers into the sedan, Katen in the passenger seat, Hikaru sat between a startled Talim and his sister. Little Tatsuya sat in his sister's lap. Hisagi sighed at the messy sight of his young master and started the car.

The children in the sedan were talking animatedly. Amatsu was scolding at an adorable Tatsuya. Hikaru was informing Talim about the Sakura Festival his school was going to initiate. Katen was talking to Hisagi in clipped sentences about relevant stuff since they didn't have much to say to each other.

"How was tennis practice?" Hikaru asked Amatsu a few minutes later. "Did you see Kunimitsu-san? Did you say 'hi' for me?"

"Oops, I forgot to," Amatsu realized. "But maybe I'll call him after dinner and you can talk to him. It's been a while since you met him, right?"

Hikaru nodded eagerly. "Almost six or seven years, since Karin-obaa-chan's wedding."

"You made a sweet ring bearer," his sister said thoughtfully, reliving that scene, "like a little angel." She sighed dreamily.

"I thought you said you wouldn't remind me of that again?"

"Amatsu made a good _little_ bridesmaid," added Talim cheekily.

"Oi, I thought we weren't speak of this again, either!" Amatsu sounded like her brother.

"How hard is it to forget Amatsu in a _dress_?"

"It was a white dress at least," muttered Amatsu. "Not _pink._" She made a face at that word.

Little Tatsuya looked puzzled during the conversation. A big question mark over his head. "Ara?"

Thirty minutes later, the sedan entered a subdivision with large townhouses sparsely built on large lots of land. They were homes of traditional Japanese families. Hisagi turned at a corner through a gate with a high hanging arch, and drove on a singular, curvaceous, dusted dirt road flanked by a small set of woods with variety of spring-blossomed trees. A fresh, enchanting, woodsy fragrance loomed the embraceful nature. Up ahead was the Kurosaki manor.

The manor was a large, modern, Japanese-styled mansion. Meaning it had heating and modern plumbing and such, but had the artwork of a Japanese building. The building was made from elegant wood for the walls mixed with faded maroon bricks and a concrete perimeter at the bottom of the foundation. The faded black, pillared roof was gently curved down, the eaves reached past the walls of the house and acted as the awning for the front porch supported by posts and lintels. The windows were rectangular and could be opened sideways since they had no glass or netting. The stoops were parallel and made of concrete. At the feet of them were stone lanterns along the walkway. The atmosphere was tranquil and heartfelt, like a fantasy of old and present Japan. A carved stone sign was perched upon the eave in the center. In kanji. _**Kurosaki.**_

Hisagi dropped off the kids and turned into another small dirt road to park the sedan in the garage building (not really a shack) off the side of the manor hidden in the clump of woods.

The double-screen doors opened and a young woman ambled outside- wearing a plain but formal, floral yukata, obi sash, and sandals -to meet the newly arrived kids. Her dark black-purple hair was knotted into a bun and her gentle demeanor was inviting. She seemed rushed like she was late. She failed her arms.

"Amatsu-chan!" She almost tripped over her feet down the stoops. "Young Masters! Talim-chan!" She caught her breath, and bowed in front of the children. "Welcome home!"

Amatsu patted her shoulder. "What's wrong with you, Momo-chan?"

Hinamori blushed, and scratched her cheek absently. "I was upstairs, cleaning, and saw the car pull up and ran _alllll_ the way downstairs." She waved that matter off and took Hikaru's schoolbag. "Time to get inside, sweethearts!" Amatsu carried an uncomplaining Tatsuya up the stoops and inside followed by her brothers and Talim. They were used to seeing a disorganized Hinamori.

Inside of the Kurosaki manor was traditional and cozy. Everyone unlaced their shoes and slipped on their slippers before heading into the foyer. Everything was spacious and the colors warm. Ranges of white, brown, green, and orange. Hinamori was chatting up a storm.

"Dinner will be in one hour! Make sure you do your homework! Oh, and Talim-chan, Renji-san said you could stay the night again."

"Awesome." Talim suspected that. Her otou-san was easy-going when it came to enforcing rules.

"I'll make sure to get some spare clothes and wash your school uniform. Amatsu-chan, how is it you're wearing a boys' shirt and a skirt? That wasn't the clothes regulated."

Amatsu coughed. "Ah-well-funny story! Oh! Is my okaa-sama home?"

"She's in the dance studio," Hinamori answered. Amatsu handed Tatsuya over to Katen. "Make sure he takes a bath," she said severely and ran off past the foyer and down the short hallway. At the end were door sliders that met with the center of the mansion. The inner courtyard. She glided past the aromas flower gardens and fountain, to the back of the mansion, where it held the more unconditional rooms, like the dance studio and the dojo. Her footfalls tapped against the tatami mats as the hopped up the ledge, and located the studio doors.

Soft, billowy music reached Amatsu's ears before she could notice. It made you want to sway your body and close your eyes. The gentle tweet of a flute. The strumming of string instruments. Amatsu also collected the brushing sounds of robes and taps of footfalls. Silently, to act without disruption, Amatsu slide the doors ajar.

The dance studio had a polished floor and ceiling with variety of lighting modified to hang onto the wood panels and alcoves that criss-crossed to support the roofing. On the back wall had a row of squared windows propped open with the fulcrum sticks. Soft afternoon light streamed through. A table was off to the side with a modern stereo, turned on.

Center of everything was a figure dressed in a white and black patterned susohiki (a kimono with a long skirt or tail) with a silky blue obi sash and split-toe socks. Her form was slender and graceful as she twirled and motioned her arms out-wide to the dreamy music. Her steps were light and concise, soft. Her eyes were closed she hummed with the melody. As the last strum of music resonated in the air, the dancer twirled one last time, her raven strands and robes billowing briefly, and she ducked her head, then tilted it up again, her eyes still closed. When she fluttered her eyes opened to the world, her violet orbs landed on her daughter leaning against the wood-paneled wall patiently. Amatsu broke into a lady-like applause, a small grin gracing her lips. She wished Esa was here to see her okaa-sama dance. She had became a big fan of hers recently.

Rukia's serious, yet bored-like eyes questioned her daughter's presence. She raised a brow.

"Knock knock?" Amatsu added on an afterthought.

Rukia sighed, and glided to the stereo to switch it off, her robes brushing the floor. "I wasn't expecting that, Amatsu." While Amatsu's voice made you lapse into a dream, all alluring and charming, Rukia's voice made your heart want to melt like you couldn't handle the warmth. Both had the same smooth, soothing texture, though.

"Tadaima?" Amatsu tried again, puzzled.

Rukia sighed more louder, exasperated. "Just get to the point."

Amatsu grinned, having to stop in her playfulness. "I must conclude now, Tatsuya should _never_ be left in tutorials. Couldn't he be home-schooled again? Tatsuya is absolutely _clueless_~"

"Distracted," her okaa-sama supplied.

"Yeah, that, too." Amatsu shook her head, still grinning, and pushed away from the wall, walking towards her okaa-sama. Nimble and light, just like her.

Rukia crossed her arms, the long, thick sleeves of her robes restricting some movement. "I'm guessing that's not why you're here the second you arrive home."

Silence ensued until Amatsu spoke up in a small voice.

"What did oji-sama say?"

Rukia lifted her hand to raise her index finger. "Your uncle heard of your little _devious_ actions-" Amatsu muttered how uncle probably used more words to describe her. Rukia put up two fingers. "He heard how you've been bickering with school officials." Three fingers. "And lastly, he said he'll deliver more paperwork of the previous meeting he had within the week. He wants you to check over the numbers and compare notes. But other than that, he was submissive."

"Great. More useless stuff about sponsors and products," Amatsu muttered sarcastically under her breath. Out loud she said, "Will he do anything? Like make me change schools again?"

Rukia shook her head lightly. "Amatsu, you've only enrolled into _another_ school. This is your third one in the consecutive years. I think your dad would've put up an argument."

Amatsu sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. And I thought oji-sama thought Kunimitsu was bad influence."

Rukia chuckled and reached out to caress her daughter's head. The tense burden lifted from Amatsu's shoulders. The air turned more relaxing like a breeze.

"Amatsu, dear?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you wearing a skirt but a boy's shirt?"

"Ughhh. Today's opposite day?"

* * *

><p>Amatsu walked out of the dance studio with her okaa-sama (Rukia slipped on her sandals). As they took a wondrous route in the inner courtyard, Amatsu relayed what happened at school to her okaa-sama. Her livid, cheeky expressions made Rukia feel happy inwardly, seeing the bright look in her daughter's eyes and that dreamy smile as she thought back in her memories. Barks signaled the approach of dogs as a dark-colored German Shepard, a Golden Retriever, and a black and white husky lopped toward their master: Amatsu. They circled around her legs, and tried to win her attention. Amatsu made sure they didn't flourish around her okaa-sama since Rukia was still wearing her expensive susohiki. While continuing to talk to her okaa-sama, she petted their eager heads as they followed her like they were stitched to her legs.<p>

"How's your cousin?" Rukia asked, as they paused to rest at the koi pond. Amatsu steered away her dogs from the water that inhibited a dozen of koi fish.

"Kunimitsu's fine. I think his rehabilitation for his left arm really did work. Hopefully he won't get injured again. He's still young to stop his future now," the younger Kurosaki said.

Rukia brushed away her daughter's midnight bangs as they blew in her face. "That also sounds like someone I know."

Amatsu humphed. "You don't see me stopping." She bent down to pick up a fallen branch and her dogs raised their heads interestedly. She threw it a good few meters. The three dogs ran to retrieve it, running on the puffy tufts of green grass. "Is tou-san gonna return home from his 'business trip'?"

Rukia noted the last two words. She could hear the air quotes. "He won't come home until tomorrow from China." Rukia coughed self-consciously then. "Your grandpa wishes to visit."

A twitch of an eyebrow. Amatsu's serenic face changed smoothly into a irked expression, unsuccessfully hidden, but she kept her gaze on her dogs as they wrestled for the branch. "Oh? Really?" Her voice was full of acid.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "It's just a visit, Amatsu."

"Why doesn't he visit Yuzu-baa-chan then?" Amatsu muttered.

"Because the Tezukas don't exactly...they're not comfortable around him," said Rukia. "Or your father."

"I wouldn't blame them," Amatsu mumbled and knelt down to her German Shepard, Senshi, returned with the tree branch. She petted his head and said more clearer, "Why did Yuzu-baa-chan get married before you and tou-san again?"

Rukia smiled, looking giddy with stars in her gem eyes. "_That_ was soooo romantic. I only wish your father was so sweet. Your uncle doesn't look like a sweet-talker, but he was. When he and Yuzu-chan graduated from high school, they got married and had little Kunimitsu when they were around twenty years old."

Amatsu stared at the flower patches and mused, "The only time tou-san wasn't brave was when he asked okaa-sama for her hand in marriage. His little sister had a family before he did. How classic."

"Mommy!" called a young boy's voice. Both Kurosaki women swiveled their heads to see a sunset-haired Tatsuya running towards them with a frantic Hinamori and Katen after him. He was dressed messily in a white robe tucked over his undergarments.

"Matte yo, young master!" Hinamori shouted as she chased after the young boy.

Both mother and daughter had the same reactions. They sighed deeply and said in unison, melodious voices mixing together to make music, "What happened this time?"

* * *

><p>Feeling the need to move about, Amatsu and Talim decided to go to the dojo and work off some steam by fighting with wooden carved swords (Amatsu had left the problem of Tatsuya running away from Hinamori and Katen and being dressed to her mother). Kendo training. You could call it that, but Amatsu movements weren't elaborate, but carefree, only Talim followed the footwork and traditions of kendo. Amatsu did what ever she wanted as she defeated the teal-haired girl over and over again. Both girls' wore hakamas. Amatsu had blue trousers with the top white, and Talim was the same, but instead with common red-colored trousers. They constructed without safety gear and played without their sandals. Katen was sitting propped against the wall, a book in his hands, reading.<p>

Amatsu caught the hilt of her friend's sword with hers and controlled the next move by spinning and disarming Talim of her sword as it skidded away, the blunt sword point at her throat.

Talim frowned and stomped her foot. "No fair! Stop being so unpredictable, Amatsu!"

Amatsu spun the sword back stylishly in a free manner as of withdrawal. She gave her friend a small smile. "That's what I do." She walked to a bench with her towel, and toweled herself, then she heard her cell phone vibrant. She flipped it open. A text message. It read: _**How's school? I feel bored here at the Academy without you guys already. It's soooo quiet. Everyone misses you, Katen, Talim, and the twins too much.**_

The text message came from a person by the name of Paula. Amatsu smiled and typed back a reply.

_**Miss everyone at the Academy, too. Seigaku's not that bad, but nothing's exciting. I'll sign in the video chat room later.**_

Footsteps tapped behind her. Talim glanced over her shoulder. "Heh? Who was that?"

"Paula," her friend answered. "She's says everyone back at the Academy misses us."

Overhearing the conversation, Katen glanced up from his book and stated, "It's only been a week or so since we've moved, and only two days since school officially started. We must be very loved."

Talim laughed. "Yeah, I feel _very_ loved alright. Hey, Kay-kun, let's spar."

Katen frowned at his childhood nickname. "_Fine_. But if I win, you can't call me names for a solid week."

"Deal."

* * *

><p>Dinner went by quickly after chatting and fooling around at the dinner table. (The Kurosaki family ate seated at a western dining table and sat in modern chairs. They had another room with old-fashioned cushions and low, oriental tables for olden day dining.) Getting her brothers attentions, Amatsu dialed her cousin's phone and said a small greeting when Kunimitsu answered. She gave her brothers the phone so they could reconnect with their older cousin. Talim and Katen were discussing the bet they had earlier, neither had won and ended with a tie. Afterwards, Amatsu went to her room upstairs for some alone time. Her room was spacious and cozy with a veranda. She had a soft, comfy, blue and black colored futon arranged neatly over a black wood platform. Flanking the bed was a nightstand with her lantern lamp. A bulky trunk at the foot of her bed filled with extra electronics and endorsements like her art supplies. Her wardrobe and dressers were on one side of the wall filled with her clothes. Posters and self-made artwork taped or pinned on the blue and gold trimmed walls. A shelf of her favorite and personal books. In one corner had a plush armchair with her jacket and cap abandoned carelessly. On the opposite corner was her desk with shelves and a vase of daily-changed bouquet of flowers grown from the garden. In addition with her desk was a laptop. The floor was thin carpet and the ceiling was bare, the lighting a gentle caress. A set of doors that led to her bathroom. Near that door was a sakura shoji screen for her to change behind.<p>

Amatsu took a quick, refreshing bath and changed into some comfy clothing: sweat shorts, an old tee, and slippers. She went to turn on her laptop and signed in to a chat room while brushing down her puffed-up hair. She waited for her connection and configuration for her camera to load.

_Sign in: Kurosaki, Amatsu._

A tiny window box settled in the corner of her laptop screen that showed what she looked like. A soon as she signed in, others began to pool in like a flood.

_Sign in: James, Paula._

_Sign in: Johnson, Whisker._

_Sign in: Hirogawa, Skipper._

_Sign in: Nakamura, Kyoko._

Four other video boxes appeared on screen. Amatsu saw four familiar faces and smiled warmly. Two girls and two boys. The background behind them resembled rooms. Nostalgia embossed her heart.

"Hey, guys!" she said happily. "Do you miss me?"

A pleasant, small-faced girl with pink cheeks, her hair in a long ponytail tied in a big pink bow, her long bangs like arches branched out away from the girl's face, cried out sweetly in a cultured voice, "Amatsu! I know I just texted you an hour ago, but I totally miss you!" That was Paula. A bundle of sun like her name.

"It's only been, like what, two weeks?" said a guy with brown curly hair like a sheep's wool, big lips, and round eyes.

"Feels like two millennium here in Tokyo," said Amatsu in a sober tone. "It's boring over here."

"I thought your cousin's over there?" asked a girl with short, straight neon (not kidding either, it's natural) pink hair.

Amatsu shrugged. "Kunimitsu's not exactly company, Kyoko." She changed the subject since she didn't want to dwell about her being in Tokyo. "So how's everyone?"

"Flit says 'hi'," said the curly-haired boy. A rebuttal of "No, I don't!" protested indignantly in background of the boy's screen. The boy sighed and looked over the camera view to placate someone as if they erupted into steam. Amatsu knew Skipper shared a dorm room with Flit.

"Hi, to you, too, Flit!" Amatsu raised her voice loudly and chuckled bemusedly. She winked at the curly-haired boy when he reappeared into view. "Thanks, Skipper. Nice to know he cares."

"Did anything happen at your new school?" wondered a brawny fellow with blonde hair and sideburns. He was American, but had practiced Japanese for years so Amatsu could understand him. It applied to Paula as well, but her Japanese wasn't so sharply conscious and didn't slip once in a while.

Amatsu sighed and her lips formed a distasteful pout. "Nothing good. Training was weird, though. For regulars, if you messed up or failed a task, you drink this thing called 'Inui Juice', made by a regular himself. He proclaims it boasts physical abilities but that drink doesn't even look edible, much less help your body."

"Sugoi," commented the brawny blonde.

"Gross," said both the girls (that wasn't Amatsu), disgusted.

Amatsu shuddered. "Thank goodness _I_ didn't have to drink it. It looked like something dredged up from a horror movie."

"I don't get why they have 'regulars'," said the brawny blonde. "What's the point."

Amatsu fingered a pencil absently as she explained resignedly, "Things are different- _way _different here, Whisker. Nothing is co-ed, and they don't have ranks but a selected number of regulars. You have to wait until you're at least a second-year to join the regulars. Freshmans do a bunch of cleaning jobs and mindless training. I won one-point matches against some tennis members. I guess if we played all out, though, _that_ would've been worth transferring."

"That's stupid," said the pink-haired girl, Kyoko. "Why do they discriminate? And why is everything so complicated?" Kyoko, who hated problems and mysteries, would die from imprisonment in Tokyo.

While the teenagers boiled in depression and impending sympathy for their transferred friend, a notice popped on their computer screens.

_Sign in: Abarai, Emi._

"Kon~ban~wa~, my dear friends!" chimed a newly arrived video chat friend. She had sleek grape-red hair tied into a high ponytail, the ends of her strands like grass blades, wore purple frames, had purple-pink eyes, and prim, beautiful face and complexion.

"Emi!" Amatsu gasped, startled from her gloom.

The beauty winked at her. "Amatsu-kun, how's my bratty little imouto-chan and her boyfriend?"

"Ughh...Talim's fine. She's studying in her room, and Katen's not her boyfriend," Amatsu managed, not trying to burden anyone with her confinements. She brought out a small smile as everyone else online greeted the lovely redhead.

Emi sighed. "Those two need to open their eyes at each other. Talim is _so_ stubborn."

"And Katen-kun is dense and unthoughtful," Kyoko agreed with the beauty.

Amatsu felt the need to come to defense for her adoptive brother and best friend. "Demo, Emi, shouldn't _you_ be worried about your love life?"

Emi's mental shields raged, but the girl's silky voice was a scoff, "Roy's not my boyfriend." Amatsu saw in the corner of her eye (and the laptop screen) that Kyoko had a frown. She remembered how Kyoko had this rival/friendship relationship with Roy. Did she feel offended at what they said?

"What happens if Talim or Katen dropped into the conversation right now?" Whisker wondered.

"We say nothing!" Emi demanded.

Paula was frantic at the adversarial battle of words. The boys were skittish at the mention of boyfriends/girlfriends- they wanted nothing to be involved with drama. Paula tried to steer them away from each other. "Um...Amatsu, have you spoken to Ace lately?"

Amatsu turned her attention to the sweet-faced girl. "Un. It's been a while, too. Is he in his dorm?"

"Didn't see him," said Whisker.

"Say 'hi' for me," Amatsu asked, "since he rarely signs in chat rooms anymore. Has he been working?"

"In his family's business, you mean?" Emi clarified. "Sometimes, but he's enrolled year-round, and he has a dorm, so I think he hasn't dropped out of tennis."

"Why does it seem like we're still talking about couplings?" Skipper mumbled almost inaudibly.

"What was that?" Paula inquired.

"Eh? Nothing!"

At the bottom right hand corner, Amatsu saw the time on the clock. Nearly nine o'clock. "Oh! I have to study! I'll talk to you guys tomorrow!"

"Oyasumi!" chorused her beloved friends. She smiled warmly at them before signing out and turning off her laptop. From being slouched on her desk chair, she trudged to her futon bed and plopped on it carelessly, her face downcasted, eyes dull. Unwittingly, her fingers played with a small, silver necklace locket that escaped from under her shirt.

_Ace, I wonder what you're doing right now. I feel so homesick when I'm alone here in Tokyo._

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter is horrible. I should print this onto paper over and over again and throw it in the fireplace. Anyway, take a good guess of what the third category for the crossover. I gave enough hints using names. Please, pretty please, give me your thoughts and put it into reviews. Gomenasai, this chapter is short and meaningless, but somehow I just had to write it. Why am I hopeless? I'll try to make the fourth chapter interesting, but truth is, I'm blank.<strong>


	5. Chapter 4: What Moves Are Those?

**Disclaimer: One of the many things I own apparently don't extend to Prince of Tennis or Bleach (or the third crossover). Did you know I'll write more motivated if I had reviews? I can hear what you want in the story and any suggestions will be taken into mind. It encourages me so. So pretty please with review on top can you reply? Enjoy reading!**

Chapter 4

What Moves Are Those?

About a good two weeks later from the newest Seigaku students' arrivals, the five tennis wonders finally felt like they've became Seigaku family. Those weeks could have been normal under many circumstances but it felt like a golden day after day. Amatsu and Sakuno became really close (which made a certain Samurai Junior grumble more than usual); Amatsu had taken her auburn-haired friend with her and her other friends to Hikaru's sakura festival where they had a marvelous time. Katen and Eni were getting use of the tennis schedule at Seigaku, and they've eventually gotten immune to Horio's constant chatters. Kikumaru was trying to convince Talim to show some acrobatic moves to him to which she replied, "Only if it's a real match, I'll play seriously."

Amatsu and her friends were surprising the Seigaku tennis club with their performance. Everyday, they stood up to the challenge without fear (except to Inui juice). Inui himself was intrigued deeply to his latest kohais and took any minute of his spare time to analyze them. He took pictures and wrote in his newly purchased notebooks bought especially for the little (ish) newcommoners, mumbling unreachably to himself, a furrow between his brows. Whatever Amatsu and her friends had in their movements and styles, interested Inui more than any recipe for juice. He was writing even now, sitting exclusively on a bench, during afternoon practice on a Saturday.

"Inui's busy again," whispered Kikumaru to his doubles partner as they took a water break. The partners were by the taps, refreshing themselves.

Oishi glanced at the data player who was bent over a notebook and stopwatch. The two boys- Katen and Eni -were running laps with the rest of the freshmans and non-regulars. They were fast, overlapping everyone, and finishing a good thirty seconds ahead, not exhausted.

"I really do wonder what type of training they did at their old tennis club," Oishi said. "They rival up to us regulars."

"Do you think Inui found anything about buchou's cousin?" asked the wild redhead. "Buchou won't give one hint." Tezuka was in Ryuzaki office, planning the rooster for the district preliminaries. It was going to be a piece of cake, because this year they have Momo, Kaidoh, _and_ Ryoma.

Oishi wiped his face with a towel and looked past the court to see Tezuka's cousin talking with her friends, a teal-haired Talim, and a blonde Esa. She was drilling them about Seigaku's upcoming tournament and explaining the rules. Her friends looked interested, brows narrowed and heads nodding.

Oishi and Kikumaru joined Fuji and Inui back on the courts. Freshmans made sure the courts were tended to. Non-regulars did their assigned tasks, playing matches and monitoring their kohais.

Inui closed his notebook and let out a sigh that did not go amiss by his teammates.

"Doushita, Inui?" the tensai asked.

Inui shook his head. He pushed back his glasses to the ridge of his nose. "The data I am collecting from Kurosaki-chan and her friends are..."

"Low?" supplied Oishi.

"-flat," finished Inui.

Kikumaru raised a bewildered eyebrow. "Mou! That doesn't make any sense Inui! Those kids do an amazing-"

"That's not what I meant, Kikumaru," Inui explained, "I meant they are highly developed and such, but everytime I compare my notes, they're always...maintained or loose."

"How?" asked Fuji, his brows pulling down.

Inui flipped open one of his notebooks and skimmed through it. He said, "Their speeds are always consistent- the same goes for power, accuracy, control -but all those traits are concise to a level. If it was compared to our data, they could stand on the same ground as us like you see during training. But they don't go all out." Inui touched his chin. "The only time where Kurosaki-chan and her friends exceeded the data I have so far was when Kurosaki-chan played against Echizen and Momoshiro, and during training when Abarai-san executed her flexibility."

"Kurosaki-chan's stunt with her control and endurance?" Fuji wanted to comfirm. "Like when she was able to handle Momoshiro's power?" Inui nodded.

"She's small, but not _too _small," Kikumaru noted, his eyes brightened. "Did you notice she's taller than Ochibi?"

"Hai, by two centimeters." Inui nodded.

Kikumaru laughed. "Nya! Ochibi needs to grow or else Chibi-chan will tower over him!" Ryoma, who heard his stupid nickname, frowned and "tch". Amatsu glanced up from her talk with her girlfriends and dented a puzzled brow.

"Huh? Chibi-chan? Are you talking about me?" Amatsu asked as she walked over to her senapis. She had hardly practiced today and only stayed because she wanted to hear the rooster for the preliminaries (and see her cousin). She was curious.

Kikumaru hugged her; she made a bewildered face and protested, "Oi! Let go of me!"

Kikumaru was having too much fun. His teammates sweatdropped at his silly antics. "Hora, you're Chibi-chan because Ochibi is Ochibi!"

Amatsu's small eyes widened at that nonsense. "Nani? You mean Echizen? And why do I have a nickname?" she complained. "You're as worst as my family! They call me Ichisuke!"

"Strawberry?" echoed Kikumaru with a cheeky grin. A lot of people who were lounging around were listening. Talim and Esa were whispering secretive, teasing remarks. Ryoma was smirking. Inui was writing obviously (that little weasel). "So you're a little strawberry?"

Amatsu blushed. She couldn't believe she blurted that aloud. Now they'll-

"I'm gonna call you Ichisuke from now on!" Kikumaru proclaimed and ruffled her midnight hair because she didn't wear her cap. She was overwhelmed. Oishi tried to calm down his partner and Fuji was laughing softly, not in a helpful manner.

...That will happen. (Sigh.)

About twenty minutes later, near the end of afternoon practice, Tezuka and Ryuzaki-sensei marched onto the courts. Everyone lined up, regulars up front, ready for battle (figuratively).

"We have our rooster set and ready," Ryuzaki-sensei announced in her commanding voice. "Singles one is Tezuka. Singles two, Echizen. Singles three, Fuji. Doubles one is Oishi and Kikumaru the Golden Pair, and doubles two is Kaidoh and Momoshiro. Inui is substitute."

Protests of "Nani!" and "Fssshhhh" were heard. Ryuzaki-sensei snapped at them, "No buts! Be at the tennis courts at ten in the morning!"

Tezuka spoke up lowly, "Until then, yudan sezu ni ikou! You are dismissed!"

"Hai!" They broke apart and hurried to clean the courts and head home.

Amatsu was waiting outside near the boy's changing room along with Talim and Esa. They were in their casual athletic clothing instead of school uniforms. Amatsu checked the time on her phone. Finally her adoptive brother and blonde friend emerged in cleaner sets of clothing.

Amatsu smiled at them and said, "Now all we have to do is-"

"I'm here!" exclaimed a soft voice. Sakuno ran (stumbled) towards them. She was also wearing her athletic attire according to their needs.

""Right on time, Saku-chan," Amatsu said with her charming grin. "Yosh, let's head to the public courts. Time for some fun!"

"Yay!" chorused her friends. Well...except Katen, he only smiled.

* * *

><p>"Ne ne, Oishi, where do you think they're going?"<p>

Sweatdrop. "E-Eiji! Please tell me we're not-"

"This is a perfect chance to collect more legit data."

"GAH!"

"In-u-i! When did you get here?"

"Nya, nevermind that, Oishi! When did _you _get here?" Points finger.

"_Tsk tsk._ Kikumaru-senpai, where you spy, _I_ spy."

Sweatdrop again. "M-Momo."

* * *

><p>Amatsu and Sakuno walked side-by-side as they strolled along with their friends to the public tennis courts. It only took fifteen minutes after taking a short trip in a bus and some patient walking. Amatsu preferred this one because of the lighting, court surface, and public changing rooms (or restrooms). Perfect for some we're-playing-fun-tennis-but-it's-actually-practice ordeal. They could relax or train.<p>

They toss their bags on the blue benches and grab their tennis rackets. Amatsu tucked her cap with the singular star-design on it, her shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail. "Yosh," she whispered and hefted her blue racket.

"How should we organize the matches?" asked Katen, as his sister slipped into the circle.

Amatsu shrugged. "Whatever you want guys."

"So much for being a leader," muttered Talim, "too carefree." That was _her _job.

Eni tilted his head, his blonde strands following his movement, thinking. "How about we do doubles matches with our respectful partners?"

"A-Ano," spoke up Sakuno timidly, hiding her face behind her racket which didn't help, "I don't have a partner."

Amatsu swung an arm over her shy friend. "Daijoubu, daijoubu. You'll team up with me." She smiled to ease her friend's cold feet. Sakuno couldn't believe she was teaming up with Amatsu who could defeat regulars and locals from other places in Tokyo. She hoped she wouldn't be a burden.

* * *

><p>"Il data."<p>

"Are they playing doubles?"

"Nya! That's awesome! Doubles isn't always bad, Momo. I wonder if they're good?"

"Do you think Kurosaki-chan's is compatible with doubles? I mean, she's sort of like Echizen...and he's _horrible_."

"I think you have a good hypothesis there, Oishi, but then again, we truly don't know Kurosaki-chan's playing style. You should also take note that she's teaming with Ryuzaki-san, who is known for her teamwork and perspective outlook."

"I think we're being too loud."

"Nya? Hontou? You worry too much, Oishi."

"Should we join our little kohais? Man, I wish I'd dragged Echizen with us."

* * *

><p><em>Purii, purii, purii.<em>

Amongst the gym, a young male dug out his phone from his sports bag, and picked up, ignoring the sounds of exercise and clinks from members and machines. "Hai, Yuuta here."

"Ah, Yuuta, it's me," said a soft voice.

"Aniki?"

"Do you want to know where Kurosaki-chan is?" said his older brother ominously.

Yuuta made a disgruntled face. He and Amatsu had zero connection at first impression, only despite. "Tch. Maybe, unless she's playing matches."

"Saa, well I saw Momo and the others go spy (he didn't even hid the truth) on her and her friends. I think they said something about 'public tennis courts'?"

Yuuta's eyes widened with interest. "Hontou? _That_ I don't mind hearing. Arigato, Aniki."

"Bye," Fuji said simple in farewell and hung up. Yuuta had a feeling his brother was feeling self-accomplished. He sighed and piled his racket and towel in his bag, getting prepared to leave.

Yuuta's senpai, Mizuki Hajime, approached, distinct with his seaweed tresses and wearing a magenta floral button shirt and long dress pants, sticking out sorely in a gym. His bemused expression made Yuuta feel self-conscious. "What's going on, Yuuta?" he said in a cultured tone. He had his arms crossed with one arm propped upwards so his hand rested against his chin.

Yuuta gotten used of his senpai's weird manners. He sweatdropped nonetheless. "M-My Aniki called and told me about Kurosaki-san's whereabouts. I'm going to-"

Mizuki pounded his hand on top of another, a lightbulb lighting. "Of course! A perfect opportunity to collect data! What a clever one, my rival, giving us a chance of rise among the stakes. Kurosaki is soon to be defeated by none other than St. Rudolph!" he boasted.

Yuuta took a second to compose himself from his senpai's freakishly abnormal thoughts. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, so, that's not what I meant, but I'm not passing this chance up."

Mizuki started to lapse into his own creepy world. He chuckled, like a witch successfully brewing a new potion. "My, my, Fuji, leaving your own kin to fend on it's own..."

* * *

><p>"Hyaku, hyaku, Yuushi! Dammit, I lost where Kikumaru went!" cried a jumpy maroon-haired teenager. He scouted around the perimeter, turning his head side to side, looking like a frantic child wanting to buy a new toy. They were only on a sidewalk next to a empty road and some trees and lamps. On their left was the upper-groundlevel that led to the public endorsements.<p>

Oshitari sighed at his partners hyped emotions. Both were wandering hopelessly in a random sidewalk, searching (stalking) for a certain group of Seigaku regulars they saw suddenly during their trip on Second Street. The Seigaku regulars were acting funny, whispering in hushed tones and hiding behind stalls and trees behind a group of younger kids. Oshitari thought he saw the cap of the infamous player, but dismissed that thought. He remembered the rumors from St. Rudolph's Mizuki Hajime that the infamous player was a girl _and _Tezuka Kunimitsu's younger cousin. It was probably a bunch of lies to catch the other tennis clubs off guard. How wrong he was.

"Let's go this way, Yuushi!" Gakuto tugged on his partner's sleeve and towed him down the sidewalk.

Oshitari hoped his doubles partner wasn't hallucinating, because that he was, too.

* * *

><p>The format for the first doubles match was set. Amatsu and Sakuno were referees. The blonde twins were one team respectively, and Katen and Talim were another without complaint. They all seemed acceptable of the invitation of <em>fun.<em> Eni had a smirk which Talim matched with her own haughty flare. Esa smiled prettily at Katen and winked; he suppressed his own smile. Talim caught that and huffed.

Amatsu cleared her throat. "One-set match! Ultima Pair-" Amatsu waved a hand at the twins "-versus Tsubasa Pair!" She motioned to the poised Talim and Katen, knees bent and leaning forward with gleeful anticipation. Sakuno blinked at the use of names. Those were their team names? Ultima and Tsubasa? (Somewhere, hiding behind the safety of the stairs with his friends, Inui was scribbling furiously in his notebook.) "Eni to serve!"

The blonde male bounced the ball, once, twice, three times, and tossed it up and served. Sakuno's peripheral vision trained itself on the fast serve. Katen returned it. A rally ensued between Talim and Esa. Esa was quick and acute, her small body handling such whirlwind. Talim had resort to sharp-turned twirls and spins as she hovered airborne close to the ground suddenly. Esa lashed out and the ball broke through Talim's acrobatic net play. Katen intercepted it at the corner and returned it. It sailed past Esa and Eni rushed to meet it. The ball zoomed back.

"Sugoi," Sakuno whispered in astonishment for her friends. They were amazing! It was definitely a practice match and yet they were acting if their life's depended on each point!

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" Momo whispered loudly at his senpais. The Seigaku regulars were crouched at the tiered stairs. Inui and Kikumaru were peeking past the level of the top step to catch a glimpse of the progressing match. Inui was too intent to scribble down every note, a deep furrow in his eyes. Kikumaru's hazel eyes were glinting with fascination, a big smile on his face.<p>

"Let's go!" Kikumaru suddenly exclaimed and rushed up the steps agilely. Oishi cried out, "Matte, Eiji!" Eager, Momo followed, Inui right behind him.

* * *

><p>Gakuto thought he heard voices, and they were familiar.<p>

"What's going on?"

"Let's go!"

"Matte, Eiji!"

Eiji? As in Kikumaru Eiji?

Gakuto glanced up from his halted spot along the sidewalk to his spectacled partner whose eyebrows were raised in recognition. "I heard the Seigaku regulars. Let's hurry!"

Oshitari gracefully and submissively trailed after the jumpy heels of his doubles partner.

* * *

><p>"1-1! Esa to serve!" Amatsu announced clearly.<p>

She and Sakuno watched comfortably as their friends had a fierce battle with overlapping emotions of determination and friendly teasing.

"Here I go!" Esa shouted in a loud voice, to which she usually didn't do. She served, fast, but light. Talim shot it back easily and said, "Too soft, Esa!" Esa only stuck her tongue out briefly before getting into position on her side of the court.

While Amatsu was monitoring the match, Sakuno noticed a group of senpais walk up behind them. She tugged on Amatsu's shirt, still glancing back. "A-Ano, Amatsu-chan, l-look-"

"Hm?" Amatsu swiveled her head and saw four of her senpais. "Eh? What are you four doing here?"

Momo grinned and came over to tug on her ponytail playfully. "To see our little kohais play, of course!"

"Where's Echizen?" she asked, glancing around, finding no stingy male copy of her. "Isn't he usually with you?"

"Echizen disappeared before I could drag him with us," Momo explained, unrepentant.

Kikumaru suddenly cheered loudly, pumping his fist in the air. "Ike, Talim-chan!" He was obviously loving her acrobatic performance. Talim glanced at the redhead and flashed a grin before returning her attention to her game. She jumped and spun in a backflip to reach the lob Eni executed. Sakuno clapped her hands in delight. It was like watching an entertaining show!

"Enjoying the show?" Amatsu asked her senpais, glancing sideways at them.

Oishi nodded approvingly. "It's great."

Never ceasing in his note taking, Inui mumbled, "Speeds have increased by 20%... Formations appear random but change and mold into a new set..."

Amatsu left him alone.

* * *

><p>Behind the small building that held the public changing rooms, Gakuto and Oshitari, peeked past the edge and stared in wonder at the Seigaku members and their kohais, who were standing by the occupied court. A clear, alluring voice called the points.<p>

"Is that the infamous player, Yuushi?" whispered Gakuto. He noticed Amatsu by her description. Slim, fit figure, cap, shorts, and blue racket resting in her hand carelessly, hanging upside-down on her middle finger.

"Ah," murmured Oshitari. He was more focused on the match with the unknown players. A set of speedy blonde twins. And the fierce, flexible teal-haired girl and her partner: the elegant bronze. He pushed his glasses back absently. _I wonder is I should call Atobe..._

* * *

><p>The match became tense...kind of. Tense, as in every bounce of a ball would make a person's heart jump anxiously. Especially the upcoming trial.<p>

"Ah!" Oishi exclaimed. "A volley!" Eni had shot a long and precise volley to the back corner of his opponents' court, exactly on the baseline. Katen barely fretted. He did something unexpected.

Two circular lines of faint green light shrouded around Katen's figure, a swirl of wisp at his feet. He positioned his racket as if the ball was at his side to return. Then, in a blink of an eye, he wasn't there anymore. A blurry scene of vague green light and a humanoid figure zoomed to the ball's range. Sounds of light, hasty footfalls resonated. Katen's form appeared more clearly, in the same posture as he was before he moved so quickly. The scene stopped like a matrix for all to see. "Cho!" The picture perfect moment moved again like someone had pressed 'play'. Katen swung and the ball shot on the twins' court, a beam of green light tailing behind the spinning ball like a comet. The thin rings of light disappeared around the bronze-haired boy.

_Smack!_ The ball zipped past Eni's range. Tsubasa Pair won the next point!

"Thirty-fifteen!" Amatsu announced. She gave a small chuckle.

Esa pouted. "Mou. Katen's is a show-off." She sighed contently like she didn't care that he was a show-off. She gazed dreamily at Katen who high-fived Talim.

"Perfect High-Speed Save," Talim commented, she rolled her eyes, "as usual." Katen only nodded his head. Everything was normal to him.

Expression of the Seigaku regulars and the Hyotei pair that was hiding: Shock. Disbelief. Astonishment. Basically the same thing.

Momo tried to voice his thoughts, "Wh-what was _that?_"

Writing ceased earlier as Inui was rendered speechless and dumbfounded. Hats off to Katen since this rarely happened to the data player.

A dazed Sakuno turned to Amatsu who was still governing over the match, just watching like it her favorite television show. "A-Amatsu-chan, what did Katen-kun do?"

"High-Speed Save," she replied mildly like it was obvious. "A defensive shot. A save shot."

Oishi uttered, "Where did you-?"

Amatsu tapped her lips with her finger thoughtfully. "Hm...if you want to learn, ask another time. In fact, you can ask Kunimitsu."

She was kidding right? To ask Tezuka was like going into a minefield. It was hard to expect what would happen. No, she wasn't kidding. The senpais sweatdropped as they mulled over their choices.

Behind the building block, Oshitari was taking pictures with his cell phone, only to get blurry images. He sighed. It looked like his data collecting would have to be a report of words instead. But that trick was too dazzling to be put into words specifically. Gakuto was gawking at the display the teal-haired girl was doing. Those flips and jumps were effortless and simple. He had another acrobatic player to worry about now.

The sad thing was, Katen only did High-Speed Save only one more time (everyone was still dumbfounded), and nothing else. The Tsubasa Pair won the one-set match twenty minutes later.

"Yay!" cheered Talim and hopped off the court to be congratulated by a starry-eyed Sakuno and glomped on by an enthusiastic Kikumaru.

"Sugoi ne, Talim-chan!" he chirped. Coming up behind his doubles partner, Katen was frowning; his expression definitely said 'get off her'.

Not drowning in their defeat, Eni and Esa were more resigned then remorsed. Eni sighed and said ruefully, "Can't beat Katen. He just _had_ to go overboard."

"I won't lose to you," Katen told him, and clapped his shoulder relaying good sportsmanship. Esa smiled brightly when Katen said "good job" to her.

Amatsu nudged Sakuno with her elbow at her side. "Our turn, now, eh, Saku-chan?"

Sakuno immediately flushed and stuttered like a reflex. "I-oh-um-"

Amatsu nearly sweatdropped at her friend's response. "Chill. It's gonna be fine." She glanced at her other friends. "Who are we playing against?"

"How about girls versus girls?" Talim suggested. Esa frowned, not liking that idea. "Talim, we don't make such a good team. It's totally one-sided."

Talim sighed. "Maybe me and Katen will have another round. You and Eni have low stamina." This information did not go amiss by Inui.

Oishi glanced down at Amatsu who was re-tying her shoelaces firmly. "Is it okay for them to play for long periods of time?"

"They can handle it," she answered calmly. "Katen and Talim are known for their endurance and determination. It's almost a plague." She stroded to the court; she took baseliner. Sakuno- quite skittishly -prepared herself at the service line.

As the players adjusted themselves on court. Two new appearances popped into the story (hehe).

Momo eyed suspiciously them as they got closer. "What are _you _two doing here?" he said skeptically.

Yuuta gave him a bland look and sat down on a vacant bench with his belongings. Mizuki paid no mind and leisurely came closer to the knitted group to stand by Inui. At least he changed out of his gaudy clothing into something more presentable.

"Anything interesting, Inui?" he asked, his hand at his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"Hm...many interesting information," Inui mused. "What do you wish to speak of?" They began a conversation that bored out other non-statistical people. They were bargaining over data.

Amatsu tucked her cap more securely, noticing the presence of Yuuta- who she remembered had insulted her for being a _little girl._ _Watch and learn._

Oishi was allowed to ref this game. He cleared his throat and proclaimed loudly, "One-set match! Kurosaki-Ryuzaki pair versus Taiyo-Abarai pair. Kurosaki to serve!"

"Ganbatte, Talim-chan!" Kikumaru enthused, waving his arms. He had became fond of the tough, but girly, teal-haired girl.

"Relax," Amatsu reminded the nervous, but determined Sakuno. Sakuno nodded and sharpened her gaze, her doe-like eyes gleamed. She would not miss any detail.

Amatsu bounced the ball, her heightened senses during any match saw Katen's and Talim's tense poses. They were expecting a rough battle. Musing inside her head, Amatsu wondered if she should make this trial quick or thorough? Maybe, but Sakuno was her partner...

She served. "Here!"

The ball sailed over the net and Katen went to receive it. Sakuno and Amatsu were already moving to their new positions instinctively, rackets ready in their hands. They moved swiftly, like a movement of limbs. Amatsu judged the ball's movement and shot it back.

Sakuno and Talim were up front for a rally, but would Sakuno handle Talim's erratic style of play?

Talim felt Sakuno's level of strength in her shots. Nothing she couldn't take, but when she saw the auburn-haired girl, she knew the girl had enforced her best in each step and swing she made. Sakuno's eyes were always locked on her as she dived stupendously to the left and volleyed a shot, Sakuno was too slow to reach it. Amatsu was already by the ball, her racket in motion and sliced it back. They won a point. The sapphire-eyed girl winked at Sakuno's self-disappointment under her cap. "I got your back, Saku-chan."

Sakuno smiled gratefully. The four players changed placements and got into their stances.

Yuuta looked annoyed, his chin resting on his hand as he felt useless on a bench. Would he be able to demand a match against the girl or did he have to be patient like Mizuki-senpai requested? Mizuki-senpai was only here to gain data and probably find ways to get attention by spreading more rumors. Yuuta affiliated himself with the capped-girl's techniques and abilities. He needed to be prepared for future references.

The match was neck-to-neck. The game hit deuce. Inui calculated that Amatsu was a better as a singles player, but the factor could be overruled if Amatsu had a doubles partner she was comfortable with.

Sakuno had to dive forward to clumsily lob a drop shot. Talim jumped up high like a spring, and grinned triumphantly at her free chance, her messy short tresses billowing in the air.

"Hyah!" She smashed it with an audible clap. The ball- supposedly a low bounce -was going to get out of Amatsu's range, she was on the opposite corner. Amatsu narrowed her vivid eyes.

It happened again. That miracle Katen performed, only, it was Amatsu, but this 'save' was much different, much drastic. Bluish white lines of light circled around Amatsu's figure like an orb, a swirling wisp at her feet like energy. Amatsu held out her racket- forehand -and watched the ball from the corner of her sight. A blur of speed and sudden currents of wind made Amatsu a different form. A translucent image- almost like a hologram - of a large falcon engulfed Amatsu's form to where she was the center, and made everything go lopsided as the form of Amatsu and her see-through falcon multiplied. Average human sight processing slowly to where she was traveling. She was never on the other end of the court- she was right there by the ball. The beams light and breeze died down, with a resonating caw of a falcon fading in the distance.

Time caught up again. Amatsu took the finishing shot- a blue streamed comet. Katen and Talim were caught off guard, and missed.

Amatsu straightened and smiled her dreamy smile. She saw everyone staring at her with their jaws dropped to the ground, baffled and thwarted by the magnitude of her actions. "Nani? Aren't you gonna call, Oishi-senpai?" she asked innocently.

Oishi tried to swallow, and stuttered, "1-0. G-game t-to Kurosaki and Ryuzaki pair."

Talim stomped her foot, exasperated and aggravated. "Ah! Amatsu! You big over achiever! You use Falcon Save _now _of all times?"

Amatsu stick out her tongue like Esa did earlier. Talim scowled at her friend. Katen sighed and slapped his forehead. His sister and partner could be such kids sometimes.

Sakuno got over her tremendous shock; she jumped excitedly. "Sugoi ne, Amatsu-chan! What kind of move was that?"

"Another defensive save shot," she informed her. "If you're lucky, you'll learn something like that." Sakuno only nodded eagerly like a child wanting candy.

Yuuta muttered to himself, "What kind of move was _that_?" He sounded like Momo when Katen pulled off the High-Speed Save.

Oshitari and Gakuto were barely hiding behind the block building anymore. They had jumped from their secrecy when they saw the second miracle of the day. First the High-Speed Save, now the Falcon Save. What was with these foreigners that made them so _majestic_?

Oshitari produced his cell phone and started to walk away from the courts. "I'm informing Atobe, this should be include him."

Gakuto muttered worriedly, following his partner, "If-If those kids entered the tournament- co-ed or not -we'd all be doomed."

Oshitrai nodded. "We'll have to do research." On the other end of the phone, Atobe picked up. "Moshi moshi?" he inquired smoothly.

"Atobe, you need to listen."

* * *

><p>Much to the data players' dismay, no more 'save shots' were revealed. Amatsu and Sakuno were battling to win against the more bonded doubles team: the Tsubasa Pair. One-set matches were usually easy to obtain victory, but this match was like a push-and-pull concept. One pulled, the other pushed, balancing each other, no one breaking the pattern.<p>

The atmosphere was itchy with excitement and avid finesse. Sakuno was tiring; perspiration beaded her forehead and the back of her neck. Her partner and opponents showed no signs of of perspiration. What a workout, she had to admit, but she wasn't giving up. She would hold her side of the spectrum instead of being a burden or mishap.

Sakuno returned a tricky volley near the net, it lobbed with a soft _ponk._ Talim grinned and twirled sideways- airborne from her last array of suave movement. She did a airborne smash similar to Kikumaru Bazooka. Kikumaru himself was cheering exuberantly for his recent favorite kohai.

Amatsu was a great baseline defender and as the smash rose, she shot it back swiftly, her precise control made it curve past Talim irregularly and Katen missed it as it bounced lowly, and zoomed from the net of his racket.

Oishi declared, "Game and match! Kurosaki and Ryuzaki pair wins!"

Sakuno could barely jump for joy, only sighed in relief and clutched her chest. "Yatta." If it was a official three-set match, she would've collapsed.

Amatsu skipped lightly to her dog-tired friend and helped her balance on her feet. Wouldn't want for Sakuno to trip. "You did great, better than I expected, Saku-chan."

Sakuno brightened like the sun. "Houtoni? Arigato, Amatsu-chan, I really needed that, even if the match was short." She blushed, thinking the liability that she would fail in a real match. Amatsu assisted her friend to the bench, Sakuno clinging to her unstaggering shoulders. Sakuno took a water break and toweled herself off. Esa and Talim came over to compliment her, Talim saying offhandedly how she wasn't playing _too seriously_.

Off to the side, Momo was whispering in an upbeat manner to Kikumaru.

"Man, I wished Echizen was here! I bet he would be impressed with Ryuzaki-chan!"

"Yeah, Ryuzaki stood strong on the court!"

"Wasn't that Falcon Save cool?"

"It was _fast_," Kikumaru agreed with a nod of his head, red hair bouncing. "And the High-Speed Save."

Amatsu was tending to her needs when she felt someone staring behind her back. She glanced sideways quietly to see Yuuta frowning at her. She smirked inwardly. She bet he was getting agitated with her moves, because she was outshoning him.

Orangy afternoon light reminded Amatsu what time it was. The street lights blared on, a breeze picking up. Amatsu opened her phone to see the time and that she had three unread text messages. She skimmed through them quickly and sighed loudly. Everyone glanced at her queerly.

"My okaa-sama wondering where I am," she told them all. "She says I better not get into any trouble again. I'll tell her we need a ride."

"Time to go already?" Katen asked. Amatsu nodded.

Yuuta stood up stonily. He said in a suppressed growl, "That's it? No more?"

Amatsu raised an eyebrow at his rudeness. She ignored it. "Gomen, that's all for today. If you want a match against me, you'll have to wait. I have other things to worry about." She dismissed Yuuta's angry pride and stuffed her things in her bag, as her best friends did so. She eyed Sakuno. "Need a ride?"

Sakuno said, unsure, "I don't want to be a bother..."

"None sense!" Talim said and swung an arm over the girl (Talim was taller than most girls). "You deserve it after all your effort today!" Talim's compliments made Sakuno shine with hidden pride, something she rarely felt.

Amatsu dialed her mother's number and hoisted her sports bag over her shoulder while putting the phone to her ear. She gave a farewell wave at her senapis and led the way out of the courts with Katen, Talim, Sakuno, Eni, and Esa on her heels as a close-knit group.

Inui spoke up, "I have a feeling that wasn't the end of it."

Oishi nodded and stared at the fading figures of his kohais as they ascended the stairs. "Yeah..."

* * *

><p>Like before, two sedans pulled up on the road and the blonde twins said their goodbyes (Esa hugged Katen and gave a tiny smirk to Talim who gave her a sour look) and shuffled into one sedan to head home in a different direction. The second sedan transported Amatsu, Katen, and Sakuno home. Sakuno could only guessed that her sapphire-eyed and jade-eyed friends were rich or highly respected (because that tattooed driver by the name of Hisagi said 'my lady').<p>

Sakuno finally arrived to her residence and bowed thankfully to Amatsu.

"See you tomorrow at the preliminary matches!" Amatsu called as Sakuno ran to the doorway of her house.

"Hai!" she said back and slipped into her home.

* * *

><p>Amatsu sat, propped up, against her futon bed, freshly bathed in lavender and strawberry scent. Clothed in comfy slacks and a camisole. Her hair flat instead of puffy. She stared at her phone screen. It blinked with light as she received a message.<p>

_**That's great. Maybe you should introduce her to the Academy.**_

Amatsu pressed back her reply with a lingering, distant smile.

_**I plan to.**_

* * *

><p><strong>I felt rushed. I had ten minutes to finish this before I had to hurry to bed because today's the end of Thanksgiving Break. I have school tomorrow! Cries anime style. Anyway, please review to cheer me up! Be nice to me and I'll update earlier! (Hint, hint.) Chapter five will probably be longer with needed plots. (I kinda revised it!)<strong>


	6. Chapter 5: Remember This

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OC's and the plot. Don't ever steal this story because I will track you down and haunt you when I die. Anyway~I was thinking about showing you some OC profiles, not the finished product, but just some insight on them. You know one of the many things I want for Christmas are reviews? Give me at least four reviews. How hard is that? But~ oh my gosh I have over 400 hits! Thanks so much! I acknowledge and appreciate anyone who puts my story on their favorite/alert list or had reviewed. I know my story is dragging and not as spectacular as my peers but hang on! Please support me! (Please read the bottom of this chapter.)**

Chapter 5

Remember This

Waking up at the stroke of eight was Katen's first priority. Periodically, as an early bird, Katen got ready for the day, doing his bathroom duties, making his bed, changing into casual tennis clothes with a light jacket, and making breakfast personally. Besides himself this morning were Hinamori and Izuru (the other house caretaker/babysitter) were lively and already beginning their morning duties like cleaning and organizing for the youngsters. The family driver and security guard, Hisagi, awoke to have some coffee. He was to drive Mr. and Mrs. Kurosaki to work.

Hearing sounds of gentle patter of footsteps, Katen turned around from his cooking in the manor kitchen to see his adoptive mother stride in, wearing formal black and white attire, her raven hair brushed yet jagged at the ends where it bent from her shoulders.

She smiled at him. "Ohaiyo."

Katen bowed his head respectfully. "Ohaiyo, mistress."

Rukia rolled her brilliant eyes, not serious off-duty. "Formal so early in the morning, just like you." She sniffed the mouthwatering fragrant air. Full of oranges, eggs, toast, and waffles. "What's for breakfast?"

"American-style breakfast," he informed her, and turned back to his cooking, whisking battered egg like a professional.

"Amatsu's favorite?" Rukia said, and took a seat at the western style table and chair (they had those dining furniture here in the modern kitchen). While the beaten eggs were frying into an omelet, Katen poured his okaa-sama a mug of coffee mixed with sugar and milk. Far back on the left, the wall aligned with windows shone with rich sunlight - a perfect day for tennis. It rewarded a most jubilant feeling.

Mr. Kurosaki came ambling in, yawning.

Ichigo's sunrise orange-blonde hair was tousled and unbothered, points sticking out in different directions. His almond-shaped eyes were like his daughter's, but with amber orbs. His face was of a young man's, long-planed, sharp, masculant, and handsome. His body was tall and lean, but strong with limber stone muscles and straight shoulders. He had retained some youthful aspects like his wife, and never failed to look no more than twenty-five years old. Ichigo was dressed in a white button shirt under a blue-and-black v-neck sweater with no sleeves, a yellow tie, long pants, and simple laced shoes. He had returned home from his 'business' in China about two weeks ago as accounted for. Currently, he was very drowsy this moment.

"Hey, Katen," he said tiredly, and took a seat by his wife. Katen slide him his regular order of black coffee. Katen greeted him, "Ohaiyo, Ichigo-sama." Ichigo was too groggy to tease him about his addressment issues and silently drank his coffee, skimming through a daily newspaper.

Katen presented two heaping plates with omelets, toast, slices of strawberries and oranges, and waffles. Healthy, all in all, but sweet.

Katen served himself some food and ate along side with his parents. They spoke only of the childrens' plans today. They were going to the tennis courts in a few hours to support Seigaku's tennis team.

"Make sure you wake up your brothers, too," Rukia told him. "Is Kira-kun driving you all?"

"Hai." Katen nodded.

Ichigo looked thoughtful, his gaze distant as a horizon, functioning normally from his boast of coffee and breakfast. He said, "I wonder if that Tezuka kid is holding up." Katen took a guess he was thinking more of his sister than his nephew.

"He's fine," Katen said, "his arm barely hurts him anymore. The treatment he had in Germany helped him. He mentions he may go study there when he graduates."

"That's nice," Rukia commented and stood up to put away her finished plates. Ichigo and Katen copied her.

Katen walked with his parents to the door. They slipped on their shoes - Hisagi already outside in the sedan, ready to take them to work individually.

Katen bowed in farewell. "Good bye, mistress; Ichigo-sama."

Ichigo ruffled his neat hair. "See ya, kid."

Katen saw them leave, the sedan driving down the manor's road. He sighed and checked his mental list.

_I have to tend to the dogs and the other pets, and I'll still cook breakfast later on. Hinamori-san had probably checked if Hikaru-sama and Tatsuya-kun were awake, and knowing her, she'd let Tatsuya-kun sleep. There's always a high probability that Amatsu-sama is still snoring, and Izuru-san is watering the garden and trimming the bushes. Alright, that's it. _His musings were like lectures.

Katen walked inside the porch of the courtyard perimeter, and saw Izuru along the way in the garden. Outside had a calm aura and decent breeze. He found the doghouses at the back of the manor, near the dance studio and dojo, in the chip corner of the courtyard. He fed the dogs and made sure they took care of their needs for the restroom. Secondly, he went inside and upstairs in the west wing to see if his siblings were up and moving.

Hikaru was already changed and set before Katen reached his door.

"Ohaiyo, Katen-nii!" he enthused, and beamed his sunny smile.

Katen nodded, looking down at his brother. "Tatsuya-kun up yet?"

Hikari's smile became an amused grin. "You know Amatsu-nee and him _never_ wake up on their own."

It was true, during school days, either Katen or Rukia had the job to be the 'alarm clock'. Unlike Hikaru who embraced growth and his youth, Amatsu was stressed by it. It didn't help she was always training and distracting herself until she was sore to the bone with her ambitions. Plus, she was overworked by Uncle's paperwork and persuasions. Katen remembered Amatsu waking up before the sun when they were younger. That all changed no more than six years ago.

A little down the upstairs hallway of the west wing, Katen and Hikaru slipped into Tatsuya's bedroom. The youngest sibling's room was barely lit with sunlight through the shuttered windows and messy with littered toys and forgotten school supplies. The little boy was tangled in blankets in his futon bed that was way too big for him. Katen crossed to his side and unpeeled him, blanket after blanket, waking him.

"Mmm..." the little Kurosaki made a low sound and blinked the sleep from his big violet orbs, his sunset hair a cute mess, creased pajamas, and a face so innocent that could make a puppy cry. What Amatsu would give to be there and envelope her brother from his overly adorable act (but it wasn't an act).

"Time to wake up, little master," Katen told him fondly. "Or else you can't go to the tennis matches today."

_That_ gave him a boast. Tatsuya brightened like the sun (and somehow lit his room at that). "Hai!"

Hikaru stayed behind with his little brother to help him get ready whilst Katen walked a bit more down the hallway to Amatsu's door. He knocked to announce his presence and slide ajar the door slightly to peek in. "Amatsu-sama?" he implored softly.

The room was completely pitch dark. Amatsu only ever slept in absolute darkness. Katen carefully made over across the room - he practically knew the way by heart from the numerous times he's done it - and drew back the solid-thick curtains and flipped the shutters. Light poured in like a flood.

"Mm." Amatsu made a similar protestful sound like her brother and buried herself deeper into the security of her blankets, her head obscured by the fabrics. She was curled in a tight position in her comfy futon - like a miniature hill - not wanting to wake up.

_She'd must've exerted herself again._

Katen sighed somberly and went over to her side and shook her. "Amatsu-sama, breakfast is ready."

"Hm," was her only mumbled reply.

"I made your favorite: waffles and coffee," Katen persuaded.

A pause; then movement. Amatsu shook the blankets off her head and stared with dull, sleep-deprived eyes, her midnight hair a puffy mess. "Waffles?" she inquired groggily.

"Yeah."

"With toppings?"

"And coffee with vanilla and milk," he comfirmed.

Amatsu perked up eagerly, Katen usually made her eat healthy. When Katen was 'in charge' (more like a worrisome babysitter) he would consequently make Amatsu eat healthy food since - if left alone - she would indulge herself. Today was a treat to her. She fumbled from her securings. "I'm up."

Katen wanted to laugh but smiled instead at his sister's love for food. She ate _alot,_ like enough to feed an elephant alot (somehow, the only evidence she left in her feasts were piles of empty bowls and plates for she ate swiftly without a crumb left alone) and gained nothing due to her extensive exercise. She stumbled on her feet to the bathroom, almost tripping and slamming into the door.

* * *

><p>Yuuta was feeling anxious.<p>

No, not just anxious, but discouraged.

Ever since he had heard of the infamous player from Mizuki-senpai (he thought it was a lie because it was _Mizuki_) he had immediately wanted to challenge him. When he found out the infamous player's identity when his aniki texted him of his appearance, it rankled him even more. _He_ had revealed to be a girl _and _Tezuka's Kunimitsu's cousin: Kurosaki Amatsu. That made her bounty and reputation heighten above the rank. Basically, anyone who bested her would be known as a hero. That concept did not exclude Yuuta.

Yesterday changed his perspective entirely.

Only about two times each that Kurosaki and her bronze-haired friend had debut those 'saves', it crushed any hopes of easy victory. Kurosaki seemed invincible. They might've only performed such contemporary moves so little but it sent one message : _you cannot win._

What and where did those mysterious but unique tactics come from? Was it a trick? Did they really use energy that emanated from their bodies? Mizuki and the other data players from tennis clubs pondered over the aspects. Every minute of his musings was about yesterday, he could not shake it from his mind.

"Doushita no, Yuuta-kun?" asked someone, ripping him from his gloomy reverie.

Yuuta blinked and picked up his head to see his tan-skinned captain staring at him with concerned. He replied slowly, "Ore...I'm fine." He inhaled some fresh air to clear his muddled mind. "Just tired that's all." They were sitting under a park's waiting area in benches, hiding in the shade it provided. Today was the preliminary matches. Yuuta recalled they were going against undescriptive schools. What Yuuta was thinking of: would St. Rudolph face Seigaku this year?

"Don't slack off," his buchou - Akazawa - heeded sternly to him.

"Hai," Yuuta mumbled.

* * *

><p>"Where's Ochibi?"<p>

"He's late _again_."

Tezuka said nothing, his arms crossed as his teammates and some tennis members lounged in outdoor tables of a local restaurant near the tennis park that held the tournament. Seat on either side of him was the sadistic smiling Fuji and a pouting Kikumaru. Oishi was across from him, talking to Fuji about classes. Echizen was on his annual late streak. Like in junior high, he slept in absently during the beginning of the tournament. He had ten minutes remaining.

Not only that, Sakuno was running late. Where was she? Lost?

Amatsu was twirling the straw of her lemonade out of boredom. She was dressed in her official tennis uniform without her cap to signify she wasn't hiding anymore. Amatsu knew she would be given loathing looks when they entered the courts. All tennis players heard of her true identity. She slouched in her seat. She was beat tired. Seated around the table were her best friends, Katen, Talim, Eni and Esa. To a surprise to the Seigaku tennis club, she had brung her youngest brother with her: Tatsuya. He sat comfortably in Katen's lap, slurping his milkshake (that was no fair, Katen wouldn't let Amatsu have one). Amatsu recalled clearly at the reactions Tatsuya gained when he clung to Amatsu's hand as they arrived.

_"Aww, he's so small. Another chibi!"_

_"What's your name? I'm Fuji."_

_"That's an odd hair color, but nice."_

_"Can you kick ass with tennis, too?"_

Amatsu, Katen, _and_ Tezuka had given Momo a death glare at his use of language. Good thing Amatsu covered her brother's innocent ears. Tatsuya was shy at the large amount of older adolescents. He had greeted Tezuka with his sweet, childish voice and hid partially behind Amatsu, holding on the hem of her tee. Tezuka frowned upon anyone who dared scare his tiny cousin. Hikaru was hanging out with his student council friends, they were at a science (bleh) museum.

The freshman trio (actually just Kachiro and Mizuno) were polite and eased the little boy of his jitters. Tatsuya immediately recognized good people.

Ryuzaki-sensei came back sauntering in with a white sheet of paper in her hands. She looked at Tezuka. "Time to sign up. Hopefully Echizen will arrive by the time we register this."

Tezuka nodded and took the paper from her hand and began writing down names in the slots.

Oishi checked his wristwatch, and murmured worriedly, "Echizen has eight more minutes or else we..."

Ryuzaki-sensei finished the sentence, "...improvise." She scanned her group of students before landing on a slouched figure, sitting, and staring aimlessly at nothing.

"Hmmm, perfect..."

* * *

><p>"Registration form for Seishun Gakuen Tennis Club," said Tezuka and handed the authoritative head at the registration table. His teammates stood behind him in representation.<p>

The man looked up and smiled politely. "Ah, Seigaku." He skimmed through the paper to scan for any miscalculations. School, coach, captain, location... He moved to the list of players. "Let's see, five third-years, two second-years, and...eh? One first-year? Echizen Ryoma?" His eyebrows rose in recognition. The Seigaku team exchanged stiff glances, tensing. "Souka." He looked across the tennis team and located a shorter frame amongst the taller teenagers. "Nice to see a champion here, Echizen."

Ryoma partially listened, his slim, fit stature slanted behind Momo. He wore the Seigaku jersey that fit loosely on him like a wrap, black shorts, and a white cap covering his head and shadowing his face. His back was towards the official, hands stuffed in pockets. He inclined his head to show he understood the compliment. "Hn."

The Seigaku team breathed slightly in relief.

"Not much of a talker, huh?" the official concluded; Ryoma humphed at that. The man checked the form and filed it. "Alright, everything is fine. You are entered, Seigaku. Good luck."

Tezuka bowed his head and led his team away down the clearing, dignified. Ryoma merged in the center of his senpais. They hid him.

"This is _stupid_," Ryoma muttered, and pulled his cap down lower. Observant people would notice how Ryoma's fingers were slender and feminine, the curves in his legs like of a girl.

"You're a good actor, _Echizen_," Momo teased and chuckled, ruffling his kohai's head with the cap in the way.

"Shut it, Momoshiro," 'Ryoma' mumbled scathingly. "I am _never_ saving his sorry butt again."

The Seigaku regulars met up with their supporters, friends, and coach down the walkway. Ryuzaki-sensei gave a grin. "It worked?"

Talim stepped forward to swing an arm around 'Ryoma'. She said mockingly, "Amatsu's an excellent actor, ne, _Echizen_?"

Amatsu tipped the brim of the cap up revealing her serenic face, and right now, utterly bland expression. She tugged at the Seigaku jersey like she mourned wearing the outfit. "When do I take this off?" She sounded distasteful.

"When Echizen gets here," Oishi told her.

Amatsu glanced at Fuji. "Gomen, for using your jersey, Fuji-senpai." True enough, Fuji had no jersey. He was the only size that wouldn't engulf Amatsu's body. Everyone had grown over the years but freshmans were still usually the smallest.

The tensai smiled bemusedly. "It's fine. It's quite funny when you think about it..."

Horio scoffed and crossed his arms. He said in his thick voice, "I could had filled in as Echizen! I've done it before!"

"And what happened last time?" Mizuno reminded him lowly. "You bragged about someone you're _not_ and picked an unnecessary fight with _another_ person from an opposing school. Ryoma-kun had to save _your _butt after you both made a ponta-vouched deal. "

Horio sweatdropped. "I was acting on Echizen's behalf!" he defended in a wail.

Tatsuya wiggled from Katen's side to hug his sister around her waist. "Do you really look like this 'Echizen'?" he implored.

"Apparently," Amatsu said reluctantly and made a disgruntled face. "That over-righteous, snotty, selfish, short-tempered, shorter-than-me-of-a-chibi _gaki _does not deserve to be helped by _me_." She had declared that all in one breath and humphed. Unwittingly, she resembled Ryoma in one of his fits.

* * *

><p>Ryoma paused slightly in his sprint to abruptly sneeze out of the blue. He shook his head, thinking superstitiously how his oyaji told him <em>someone's saying bad stuff about you~ <em>in his annoying immature manner - so annoying in fact that Ryoma would retort at him or shoot a tennis ball point-blank in his face. He reclenched his hold on his bag to presume running. Only a few more streets to go...and he just _had_ to miss the bus...he was nearly ten minutes late...

* * *

><p>Sakuno had woken up early today, but that was an insignificant fact to what happened <em>after <em>she woke up. Sakuno had forgotten to make lunches for her and Ryoma, and had to spend most of her time cooking. Then, she didn't know what to wear for the day, littering her bedroom and closet with scores of spare clothing as she frantically searched, and ended up sporting her Seigaku uniform, wasting even more time. Her obaa-chan had reminded her granddaughter about being organized and prepare prior, but that heed was lost in Sakuno's befuddled mind as she hurried. Only if Tomoka was accompanying her, then maybe she would have been more organized.

Finally, Sakuno finally packed her goods and left her house and precariously locked it only to wait fifteen minutes for the next bus that would take her to the tennis courts that held the matches. Pacing impatiently, she kept glancing at her watch self-consciously and keeping an eye out for the bus.

_I'm _so_ late._

* * *

><p>"Doubles one's win was a success. 6-0," Inui said and marked it in his notebook at his precise calculations. He observed through the wire-chained fence to see the Golden Pair high-five each other cheerfully. Fuji had already warmed-up and was prepared for his match, and supposed by everyone, he would win a perfect streak.<p>

Amatsu had to stay with the regulars still undercover because that lazy of a freshman ace had yet to appear. She stood near her stoic cousin and tried not to attract attention, but every once in a while, Ryoma's descriptive reputation and appearance zeroed on her and onlookers would point and whisper at her, because she _had_ to be Ryoma, and it didn't help she was next to her acknowledgeable and eye-catching cousin. Why on earth would two people, among the entire race of the planet, who despise each other with similar personalities and attitudes that clashed have to look alike? They were like fire and water. Just because they were the same didn't mean they had to pretend to be good Samaritans. Ryoma, a good Samaritan? Forget it. Amatsu'd rathered masquerade as the diabolical capped player again. At least no one knew who she really was.

What took her mind out of the sulky feelings was Fuji's excellent and perfect performance. Although he wasn't 100% serious to the bone, Fuji did not let one point get past him. He was a balanced player, not an all-rounder, but still as splendid in techniques and a major star in tactics. Vaguely Amatsu wondered, if opposing in a match, who would win, Fuji or Inui?

Amatsu observed Fuji serve aces without much of a single breath wasted and concurred: Fuji.

When Amatsu felt a hand touch her shoulder she glanced up.

"You should warm-up in case Echizen doesn't arrive," heeded her bespectacled cousin.

Amatsu frowned. "For Echizen, no, but for you and the team, I guess I have no choice." She sighed forlornly and grabbed her sports bag. She raised a puzzled brow when Tezuka also picked up his bag.

"I'll warm-up, too," he said mildly in his mature voice. "It's mandatory for Singles One to play in the preliminaries."

"Oh."

Tezuka escorted his sapphire-eyed cousin off to the side on a thin pathway that led to practice courts. It was deserted and clean so Amatsu and Tezuka brandished their rackets and faced each other across the net.

Time rewinded itself. Instead as a stoic, highly respected tennis captain of one of Tokyo's renowned school, Amatsu saw a younger version of her cousin. Smaller, yes, but rather thin and wispy with a mature, steady gaze for a minor. Straight locks framing such a beautiful face and a presence of a unstoppable force.

Soaring back into the present, Amatsu smiled wistfully and tugged down her cap firmly, slightly bending her knees as she poised herself. "Let me see how much you've changed," she whispered.

Upon hearing her proposition, Tezuka nodded and held a ball outwards and tossed it.

Amatsu's smile never faded.

* * *

><p>During the exchange between the two cousins, they failed to take notice of the extra shadows that followed them and squatted, hiding themselves behind the thick of bushes surrounding the fence.<p>

"I'm so nervous I can barely think," said a male's voice, hushed.

"Nya, why _are_ you nervous?" said another skeptically in a suppressed whisper.

"Momo is probably referring to Tezuka's match, Kikumaru," a monotone voice explained.

"Shouldn't you be taking notes?" the first voice demanded.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Now Inui's acting skeptical," the second voice said, and sweatdropped.

"Shh!" another gruff reprimanded harshly. "Look at Buchou's match!"

"Nani? Is Viper worried?"

"Urusai!"

"Tezuka has been maintaining himself during practices and training," mused Inui and pen scraped itself upon paper. "His speed and power are increasing bit by bit. He is going against his cousin and does not appear to be restraining himself. Although Tezuka must have a will of always winning."

"What are you old people blabbering about?"

"AH!" the present males screamed (quietly). The tense practice match between Amatsu and Tezuka was undisturbed for they were too absorbed in trying to get at least _one_ point to begin the score. Amatsu and Tezuka did not miss one step in motion or blinked unless they needed to.

"E-Eni-san? When did you get here?" exclaimed Momo.

A redhead points a quavering finger. "You, too, Talim-chan!"

Talim pretended to look offended. "Is this an all boys' club or something?"

Eni waved her off (and some daggerish leaves that poked his face). "Anywho, why are you spying on Amatsu?"

"Were we spying? Is that what we're doing?" Momo lied feebly.

Both Talim and Eni droop their eyes unconvincingly at him. "Yeah, uh-huh, right."

Inui wrote some trivial sentences in his notebook. _Talim A. and Eni V. are _very_ good at sneaking._

"Pay attention to the match!" Kaidoh hissed and everyone dropped their quarreling, peering through the bundles of leaves and branches.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Sakuno was trying to read a directionary, looking hopeless.<p>

"Mou," she complained. "I can't remember which court is which." She thought about it. "And how far they are in the tournament."

She kept staring cluelessly at the board map and finally glanced around, her intuition like a six sense. She swore she saw a familiar boy with windblown black-green locks in a Seigaku uniform stop momentarily between the crossing of pathways before darted down one on the right. Carried on his back was a Seigaku tennis bag.

_Ryoma._

"EH!" Sakuno sprung back to life and stumbled after the sprinting boy. "Matte, Ryoma-kun!"

* * *

><p>Ryoma scourged for many tiresome moments at the perpendicular pathways that led court to court. Finally, sighing in relief, he saw a familiar vice-captain with his bowl cut standing next to a neat bronze-haired Katen up front to the wire-linked fence, both observing. Loitering around the court were students wearing Seigaku uniforms. He discreetly ambled to Oishi's direction. As he drew closer his classmates and friends welcomed him warily. Horio let out a speech of how he needed to convert his lazy routine and man up, but Ryoma pushed past him. Horio, being silenced by his best friends. Ryoma vaguely saw the female twin holding hands with a small shy boy with eye-catching sunset locks. Who was he?<p>

"Echizen?" Oishi said as he approached with his head ducked to ward off attention. He was a tennis champion after all in a tennis involved area.

Echizen mumbled lowly, tired and aggravated with his late morning, "Hey." He glanced around once. Playing gracefully on the court was Fuji, the score in his favor, on his way to earn his fifth game. That Katen kid had raked his firm jade eyes at him as in to say _You're late if that's not obvious. _Ryoma felt a sort of resentment towards that kid. Just because he was more serious and tall didn't mean he was better than him! Ryoma gave him a seething look, and asked his vice-captain, "Where's everyone else? Where's buchou?"

Oishi sweatdropped like he was asked to confess a crime. "Ah, well, since you were - _ahem_ - late, we got someone to disguise as you and pretend to be you for appearances. About twenty minutes ago, Tezuka and Kurosaki-chan went to warm-up."

Ryoma felt his eyes widen. "Matte. You mean Tezuka-bychou and that little..._girl_ are playing a match?"

This time, Katen voiced his thoughts heatedly, "Her name is _Amatsu-sama._" His tone became dry. "And yes, while you were playing hooky, she substituted as you. Ironic as it is, she's you but _better_."

They glared at each other. Oishi beckoned them to cool down. "Hey, hey, stop it. Echizen, you better go fetch Kurosaki-chan and tell her she can stop substituting as you now and bring them back here. I think Fuji's almost done with his match."

"Hn." Ryoma, still gripping his bag, ran past his crowd and ran down the walkways, head down, avoiding strangers and hurrying.

* * *

><p>Amatsu and Tezuka were tied. Both had only gotten two points each in a span of twenty minutes. The match was lagging and tedious as you watched, but the players were expressing their pride and determination as they rallied. They had not shown any unique techniques, just basic plays only constructed with much depth in their movements. Quick, unyielding, and strong. Amatsu relied on her Split-Step.<p>

Amatsu was entirely concentrated on her opponent to the point where when she heard a low, haughty remark, it made her stop in her steps that her cousin's shot went in by her feet.

"Can't keep up with a little first-year, Tezuka?" A figure came forward sluggishly from the court entrance flanked by trees like he enjoyed taking his time. He was a third-year with beady lined eyes and his trimmed brown hair close to his head, an arrowhead scar under his left eye. He wore an ugly brown tennis school jersey, one hand in his pocket.

Tezuka straightened up in his stance and regarded the boy sternly. Amatsu wanted to snap at the brown-haired boy for interrupting their match and insulting her cousin with a nasty tone. But she remembered she was 'Echizen' not 'Amatsu' the infamous player. She ducked her chin and stayed in her spot quietly.

"Captain Kuki Kiichi of Kakinoki High School Division," Tezuka drawled, Amatsu had a feeling he introduced the boy for her sake. "What brings you here?"

Kuki stroded forward a few steps and opened his arms wide, shrugging. "I just wanted to warn you that just because you have a little champion on your team does not make you magnificent like everyone says Seigaku is. It's revolting actually." He narrowed his tweak eyes in Amatsu's direction who was farthest from him, on the other side of the court. He did not recognize her and assumed wrong. "It's almost cheating in some ways.

She did not just hear him accuse her cousin of cheating. But on the bright side he insulted Echizen. Bad side, he thought _she_ was Echizen and bad-mouthing her in her presence. Grr, she just wanted to tell him who she really was and make him pay...

Tezuka exhaled, composing himself. "Leave. I have no desire to hear your complaints. You have interrupted our match."

Kuki laughed scornfully. "Nani? This match wasn't worthwhile anyways. Why try? Maybe you've gotten soft, Tezuka. You may have won back the national title last year, but I may say, you have no more tricks." Without taking his beady eyes from Tezuka, he pointed like a dagger to 'Echizen'. "Everyone knows about Seigaku. Especially Echizen. Your secrets and surprises are no more. You've exhausted your resources, even you, better in health, but outshone by others. What did I hear about you having a cousin who's-"

_Swoosh!_

Kuki froze as two tennis balls zoomed by either side of his face and smacked onto the fence behind him, spun, and rendered stuck in the diamond openings. Tezuka snapped his neck behind him where Amatsu had resided only to find, her _and_ Echizen. Both were standing side-by-side, wearing their signature caps on top their heads. Ryoma sported the blue-and-white Seigaku jersey proudly but it wasn't his for it lagged and sunk his figure. Whilst, Amatsu was in her regulated tennis outfit. They wielded their rackets outwards as they had served.

One more fact, they looked downright _pissed off_.

Kuki sputtered, "Echizen and..." He sought Amatsu's more slender and feminine figure. "Who-wait-you're-"

Amatsu lowered her blue racket. Her sapphire eyes drooped as always but they were not a peaceful and dreamy, but now deathly and severe. Her voice was the same, soft and angelic, but a dark and firm underlining tone. "What were you going to say about me?"

Kuki swallowed and attempted to laugh brusquely to hid his unguarded form under a bravado. "A-A cousin who is a low-life scamp, showing off just because s-she's related to you."

Tezuka and Amatsu had choking auras. They were as quiet and stoic as usual, but this time they seem to want to strangle you with it. Inwardly, Ryoma was thoughtful at the derogatory comment directed at Amatsu, then remembered the ones he heard about him and resolved himself to get ready to beat someone's unlucky ass.

Amatsu pointed her racket at him, he flinched as if she had hit him.

"My cousin," she said softly with such honestly that it was hard not to believe her, "and the rest of the Seigaku tennis members deserved the national title. I did not come here to Tokyo to brag that Kunimitsu wasn't the only one who was powerful - that you should fear Seigaku. I defeated many on my own accord." Her voice rose. "I am proud to be related to him as he worked in his own sweat and blood to rise upon the dangers to see his dream come true. And he will survive, again and again." Deed done, she rested her racket on her slim shoulder, her voice lighter and dismissive. "Besides, I heard your school is horrible at tennis. I don't see why you need to goad for something you're not involved in. You are nothing compared to Seigaku. The only ones honored for Kunimitsu to think about is Hyotei and Rikkaidai."

Kuki was rendered speechless, embarrassed, and provoked against. Nervous sweat beaded his forehead. He spoke defiantly, yet unsure, "I-I wasn't goading! Seigaku should have no privilege to enter the tournaments at all! They have the upper hand! What I said was true, they have nothing to surprise anyone with! They are at their limit!"

"Then they will decide whether or not if they can surpass their limit or stay there," Amatsu replied easily like she was a teacher giving a lecture. She smiled at her cousin who returned a tender twitch of a smile. "I suggest you go on and complain, but everything and everyone moves forward. No one can stop time even if the same day repeats over and over again."

Kuki stormed off leaving only dust in his wake. "I'll remember this you little fake scamp!"

"Of course you will!" Amatsu called after him. "That's why you were born with a brain! And remember this so you can tell the world, my name is Kurosaki Amatsu!"

Her cousin appraised her lightly in his formal way. "Don't shout, he's gone."

Amatsu rolled her eyes. "Hai, hai." She'd finally remembered Ryoma who was beside her. He looked at her scathingly, his face pinched, but otherwise seemed normal.

Tezuka walked towards them and scanned Ryoma's grumpy form. "When did you arrive, Echizen?"

In the presence of his captain, Ryoma pulled his cap brim low. "About ten minutes ago."

Amatsu smiled, sensing that her cousin was about to reprimand him. "If you're going to scold him: wait." Her cousin looked at her skeptically as she called out clearly, facing the thick bushes that outlined on side of the courts. "Come out you guys!"

The bushes rustled and leaves puffed. Six disheveled people with leaves and scraps emerged sheepishly.

Amatsu started to reminiscence what happened before anyone could start utter their excuses.

_"Pssst! Kurosaki-chan!"_

_Startled, Amatsu tore her gaze from the loud-mouth Kuki and saw some faces appear amongst the shady spaces of the bushes._

_"Inui-senpai?" she wondered incredulously in a murmur. "Kikumaru-senpai?"_

_Kikumaru beckoned her urgently. "Hyaku!"_

_Warily, Amatsu glanced her cousin's way, he was preoccupied with glaring. She glided towards the bushes stealthily and was grabbed by the arm and jerked in. She yelped as her side hit the ground, branches scratching her face. Smushed in the available spots they could find were five people she didn't expect. Momoshiro-senpai, Kaidoh-senpai, Talim, and Eni. Talim and Eni did not seem sheepish but wary. Talim looked amused like she saw a good show._

_And a fuming Echizen apprehended and captured by Momoshiro, his mouth covered by his senpai's hand. Everyone was pressed to the ground, trying to be quiet and undiscovered._

_"Hurry and change clothes," Inui whispered, serious._

_Momoshiro released Ryoma who growled under his breath. Amatsu unzipped Fuji-senpai's jersey and handed it to him. Ryoma produced his Fila cap from his fallen bag and his racket. Amatsu refixed her hairstyle by picking up the cap and letting her hair fold down and tucked it back on. This transaction took about one minute tops.  
><em>

_"Go," everyone said immediately. Amatsu and Ryoma crept out as silently as they could from the clingy bushes and stood on the court together. Kuki was still ranting and smart-mouthing Tezuka. He started to say something about Amatsu in his irking way to which she subconsciously took a spare tennis ball from her pocket. Ryoma had the same notion, and together, synchronized, served. _

_Swoosh!_

Everyone had the same thought in their heads when Amatsu finished her point of view with exact clarity: _She sounds like she wrote the whole thing._

Tezuka cleared his throat and said, "We must get back to he courts. Fuji must have ended his game already."

The congregation relaxed knowing they would not be punished or scolded for. Amatsu and Tezuka grabbed their belongings and filed behind their friends as the exited the practice courts.

* * *

><p>A breathless Sakuno emerged from the group of Seigaku students, she ran towards Amatsu and Ryoma, her braids flying and face pink.<p>

"Amatsu-chan! Ryoma-kun!" she cried happily. She embraced Amatsu who immediately inquired of her tardiness.

"I didn't catch the bus and couldn't find my way here," she admitted bashfully, and flushed even redder under the hawk-like scrutinizing from Ryoma and Amatsu who were both like twin angels. She didn't want to confess that the only gist she was able to find her way was because she stumbled after Ryoma. He didn't acknowledge that he had heard her so she kept quiet, his cat-like eyes still lingered on her.

Amatsu patted her head. "At least you're here now - oh! I want to meet someone!" She dragged Sakuno away with Talim and Eni dashing after her. Ryoma "tch" and then jerked suddenly as a strong arm encircled his neck and dragged him away. Momo reeled a reluctant Samurai Junior to the head of the group. Oishi told him to start switching into his Seigaku tennis uniform. Fuji returned, given back his jersey from Ryoma. Fuji could tell there was a story behind the creases and leaves marked on his jersey and only smiled knowingly. Ryoma was shoved (not nicely) into the court.

"Meet my youngest brother, Tatsuya," Amatsu introduced fondly of her shy brother.

Both shy but sweet persons glanced at each other. Sakuno bent her knees so she could gaze eye-level with the boy who clung to his sister's side. He was so kawaii!

"Konnichiwa, I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno," she said softly. "Nice to meet you."

"H-Hi," Tatsuya whispered and blushed.

Amatsu, Talim, and the twins smiled. It would all balance out.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was meaningless. The next chapter will continue on from the ending of this one. I can't seem to stop staring at my copy of Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. I L~O~V~E it! Anyway, to make up for this insensibility, I made the first copy of my OC character profiles. Read on and review or PM me if you wish for any questions or comments. Excuse me for such messy profiles.<strong>

...

(Order by appearance.)

Name: Kurosaki Amatsu

Height out of five tennis OC's: Fourth. (Specifically she's 165 centimeters.)

Family: Father: Kurosaki Ichigo, Mother: Kurosaki (Kuchiki) Rukia, Adoptive brother: Taiyo Katen, Brother: Kurosaki Hikaru, Brother: Kurosaki Tatsuya. Pets: Senshi (German Shepard), Taji (golden retriever), Kuroyuki (husky).

Appearance: She has midnight hair that curves down, following the figure of her head, sometimes her bangs obscure her left eye and is medium length. She has almond-shaped eyes and stunning sapphire irises. She's slender, fit, and has soft curves. She has pale skin and serenic facial features, small, slight, and soft.

Tennis: She has a blue racket and usually wears a blue tee and black shorts and sometimes her cap with a single star. The cap was given to her for a present. She has a blue racket. Does Split-Step and is depicted as an all-rounder. Her performance is precise, quick, concise, and cunning. She was the infamous player defeating locals due to the fact she was 'rebelling' of her transfer to Seigaku.

Background: At the beginning of the story she was the infamous tennis player who resembled closely to Echizen Ryoma. It turned out she was 'rebelling' against her transfer to Seigaku because her uncle disapproved of her education opportunities. She is also revealed to be Tezuka's Kunimitsu's cousin. She becomes Sakuno's best friend and learns more about Tokyo's 'way' of tennis. She doesn't like being at Seigaku and always communicates with her other best friends she'd left behind via cell phone or video chat. She and her friends that transferred with her loyally and are very mysterious about their tennis. She had performed a mighty 'Falcon Save'. Inui is suspicious of her background. Amatsu is clueless with directions, relying others on that. She eats in large amounts but neatly and swiftly and can cook very well. She has hints of playing music or singing and can paint and draw. She loves beaches and her family and friends. At school she rebukes the school rules and teachers and due to her speeches and intelligence, gets her way in life. She tends to spend most of her time on tennis or training herself until she is bone-tired, effecting how she wakes up so late. It is hinted she dislikes her grandfather and adores her younger brothers. The reason why she isn't so short like her mother is because of a clash of her father's genes. She is childhood friends with Talim and is slightly taller than Echizen Ryoma who is like a copy of her. It is hinted her doubles partner at the Academy is someone named 'Ace'.

Name: Abarai Talim

Height out of five tennis OC's: Third. 168 centimeters. (She and Eni are around the same height.)

Family: Father: Abarai Renji, Mother: unknown, Sister: Abarai Emi.

Appearance: She's tall, feminine, compact and flexible. She has short teal-colored hair that she puts into two side-pigtails with bronze cylinder brackets (ornaments) and a headband to keep her hair out of her face when she does acrobatics. She had steady amber eyes and is very pretty.

Tennis: Her natural flexibility allows her to play acrobatic tennis. She does a combination of net play and baseliner due to her flying performance and reflexes she can cover all bases. She has a brown and white racket. Her doubles partner, though she can't play in Seigaku, is Taiyo Katen. Their team is known as 'Tsubasa Pair'. She is known as the Saru Hebi Yokai because she can jump and flip like a monkey and flex like a snake, but she gets to hyped and attacks harshly.

Background: She's usually seen with Amatsu or Katen her childhood friends. The Abarai family and Kurosaki family are close to each other. She sometimes sleeps over at the Kurosaki household which they always welcome her. She transferred to Seigaku with Amatsu because they are like sisters and it didn't matter where Amatsu went, she followed and so does Katen, Eni, and Esa. In a way Talim and Katen are mentioned or teased as a 'couple' but Amatsu sometimes comments they are a 'married couple'. She's unwavering, and strong-willed, devious, friendly, and always there whether she has to be or not.

Name: Taiyo Katen

Height out of five tennis OC's: First. Around 170 centimeters.

Family: Father: unknown (alive), Mother: unknown (deceased), Adoptive Father: Kurosaki Ichigo, Adoptive Mother: Kurosaki (Kuchiki) Rukia, Adoptive Sister: Kurosaki Amatsu, Adoptive Brother: Kurosaki Hikaru, Adoptive Brother: Kurosaki Tatsuya.

Appearance: He has neatly brushed bronze-hair and jade eyes. He can be described as mature, handsome, regal, or traditional, but still youthful, not too masculant. He is tall enough to pass for older and corded with thin muscles and indentions, not brawny. He stands straight and is mostly serious or exasperated.

Tennis: He is a offensive baseliner or all-rounder. He has a green racket. His doubles partner is Abarai Talim. Their team is called 'Tsubasa Pair'. He is very fast like the wind and can switch from defensive or offensive fairly. He is very coordinated, compatible, quick-minded, and reliable. He had performed the 'High-Speed Save'.

Background: Katen's mother died of lung failure when he was a baby, her body weak. His father could not handle taking care of a baby all alone so the Kurosakis (Ichigo and Rukia), who were friends, adopted him. He'd been with Amatsu ever since because he adores and respects her since childhood, even showing it by taking care of her when she ceases to and addressing her as 'Amatsu-sama' and whatnot to the Kurosakis which he indebted his life to, but they treat him lovingly like their own. His biological father pays child support for him but he dismisses the notion, not showing a feeling towards his biological father. It seems he does not want to meet him after all these years. He was transferred to Seigaku because he wouldn't want to be left behind by Amatsu. He has some feelings towards Talim. He was named by his mother. Everyday he usually deals with childish antics when he is a somber or unfaltering person.

Name: Valence Eni (Last name pronounced not as _Vay-lence_ but as _Val-ence_.)

Height out of five tennis OC's: Second. Around 168.5 centimeters. (About same height as Talim.)

Family: Father: unknown, Mother: unknown, Twin Sister: Esa.

Appearance: Yellowish, golden blonde hair, ruffled and left alone locks that sometimes fall over his eyes. He has glinting onyx eyes that can easily reflect his moods. He is fit and slim and with slight muscles. He has handsome, boyish features, flawlessness, and healthy peach skin.

Tennis: He does net play and serve and volley. He has a gold rimmed racket. He's light on his feet and silent like he's not there. Besides Amatsu and Katen, he has the sharpest eyesight and hearing, similar to the male twins at Josei Shounen. His doubles partner is his twin, Esa. Their team is called 'Ultima Pair'.

Background: He and his twin sister met Amatsu, Katen, and Talim sometime in junior high. He easily befriended them and is protective of his sister. He is down-to-earth and kind and sneaky. He and his sister had no reason to transfer to Seigaku, they just felt like following Amatsu because she was like their idol. He is half Japanese and half American which is how he is blonde.

Name: Valence Esa

Height out of five tennis OC's: Fifth. (She's about three and a half centimeters in shorter than Amatsu.)

Family: Father: unknown, Mother: unknown, Twin Brother: Eni.

Appearance: Yellowish, golden blonde hair kinda like a straight cut bob tied back around with a ribbon or a headband. Glinting onyx eyes. Looks like a fairy, small sweet face. Is short and small and prim. Healthy peach skin and flawless complexion.

Tennis: Plays net play and serve and volley. She has a yellow racket. She usually isn't seen practicing too much and likes doubles more. Her doubles partner respectfully is her twin brother, Eni. They have hard to break formations and a some tricks up their sleeves. Their team is called 'Ultima Pair'.

Background: She and her twin brother met Amatsu, Katen, and Talim sometime in junior high. She has a crush on Katen and is sometimes found teasing, arguing, or gossiping with Talim. She is half Japanese and half American. She is very girlish and loves the color yellow. Ever since she heard and met Kurosaki (Kuchiki) Rukia, she'd been idolizing her. She likes to dance.

Name: Kurosaki Hikaru

Height: About an estimated 147 to 149 centimeters. Whatever seems right.

Family: Father: Kurosaki Ichigo, Mother: Kurosaki (Kuchiki) Rukia, Sister: Kurosaki Amatsu, Adoptive Brother: Taiyo Katen, Brother: Kurosaki Tatsuya, Pet: Chitose (turtle).

Appearance: Short spiky raven black hair (that doesn't poke you) and wide arched cinnamon eyes. His face had a perfect set of cheekbones and aligned nose. He's twelve years old.

Tennis: unknown

Background: He is fine with moving to new schools and usually joins Student Council. He is bright, smart, friendly, caring, and heart-warming, and willing to lend a giving hand. He looks more of his father.

Name: Kurosaki Tatsuya

Height: 127 centimeters.

Family: Father: Kurosaki Ichigo, Mother: Kurosaki (Kuchiki) Rukia, Sister: Kurosaki Amatsu, Adoptive Brother: Taiyo Katen, Brother: Kurosaki Hikaru, Pets: Usagi-chan (bunny).

Appearance: Nine years old with thick messy sunset hair and almond-shaped, gem-like violet orbs like his mother. Cherubic face, wan and innocent.

Tennis: unknown

Background: Impossible not to love and care for. He's timid and shy around strangers and loves animals and sometimes gets dirty or in a hassle when trying to help them. He's small due to his genes of his mother. Amatsu adores and fauns over him like a teddy bear.

Extra: Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki are three years younger than Ichigo not four/five or whatever. Yuzu got married before Ichigo. Karin married only a few years ago in the story line. Ichigo's 'job' is secretive and mysterious but does team up with other characters in the Bleach story.

**I have a poll, it's about my stories. Please go to my profile and vote. I need preferences.**

**There will be a continuation of character profiles in the future, 'til then, sit tight (not too tight).**


	7. Chapter 6: You!

**Disclaimer: The only thing I have this December is this plot and the OC's. I wish upon a Christmas wish to have Prince of Tennis or Bleach (or the third crossover which I will not reveal yet) but alas, I do not. Now that's out of the way~ this chapter starts a little after the previous chapter in the preliminary tournament. I don't know the real order of tournament matches like in the anime but I'll try to keep it the same. This has mostly dialogue and some introduction of other Prince of Tennis characters. I thank anyone who continues to read and supports my story. Excuse such a horrible chapter, but I had promised a chapter after exam week (I've survived!). I have a poll for my readers and hope you vote to help clear my mind. I feel better from the freezing temperatures if anyone reviews, it warms my melancholy heart.**

Chapter 6

You!

Seigaku was invincible.

That was clearly the only word to describe them. They were a clean-cut slice into the board. They dominated school upon school, not relinquishing the thought of nationals. Just because they were short on one cherished member (Kawamura) it didn't mean that they weren't fighting extra hard in his absence. Each match was easy-breezy with their national-level skills and tactics. Inui provided data for his teammates to base their plays on against their opponent, and Tezuka kept his team ship-shape with his firm formality. All was fairly uncomplicated.

Next up was Fudomine.

Part of the Seigaku tennis club - mainly the regulars and close friends - bumped into their rival, but also comrade school during the break between district matches.

Lunch was when they met them. The main group from Seigaku were eating and resting casually in the picnic areas with the awning over them to provide shade from the afternoon sun. Ryoma had Sakuno's homemade bentos which allowed his senpais (Momo and Kikumaru) to tease him endlessly about. Ryuzaki-sensei went to go have lunch with some reporters (Inoue and Shiba). Fudomine stroded towards them upon first sight.

"Tezuka," greeted a tall, fierce-looking guy with dyed blonde hair.

Tezuka stood up to shake the other boy's outstretched hand. "Tachibana."

Amatsu glanced up interestedly from her fruit juice with inquisitive sapphire eyes. Tachibana. That sounded familiar...

The two teams were greeting each other, and in their rival ways, conversing on normal terms.

"Echizen is playing Singles Three. I can finally get back at him for beating me in junior high. I wonder if he has anymore grip tape. Apparently you keep buying it all. How devious. If I win against a champion maybe I can earn a title and I won't seem like a loser in front of buchou..."

"S-Shinji."

"Mada mada dane."

"Oi, Kamio, do you know An-chan's favorite color? Or maybe her favorite flower? Because I was thinking about buying her-"

"THERE'S NO WAY I'M TELLING YOU, MOMOSHIRO!"

Sakuno jumped to her feet to hug a pretty girl with straight hair in girly clips next to Tachibana. "An-chan!"

An smiled and laughed lightly. "Nice to see you again, Sakuno."

Sakuno sparkled. "I want you to meet someone!" Sakuno beckoned Amatsu with her hand eagerly. Amatsu smiled her dreamy smiled and complied, standing by her auburn-braided friend. "This is Kurosaki Amatsu."

Saying her name had simultaneous effects.

The Tachibana siblings widened their eyes. The Fudomine second-years almost fell with shocking surprise, but regained their balance enough to point incredulously at a startled Amatsu with outraged expressions, verging upon her. Ibu started muttering obscenities. The Seigaku members were confused and baffled.

"YOU!"

Amatsu blinked uncomprehendingly, not understanding their loathing and loud impressions. "Ah? Yes, me."

Kamio's pointed hand wavered. He could not articulate due to his short temper, but managed to stutter, "Omae-omae-"

Tezuka cleared his throat. "This is my cousin...Amatsu."

Tachibana started to grin lightly. "Souka. So this is the little brat that's been beating up my team."

The Seigaku members glanced amongst each other. Amatsu defeated them, too? Looking wary and sheepish, Sakuno laughed nervously. This wasn't a good impression. Actually, Amatsu never seemed to make a good impression among boys. This was happening to be replayed a lot. Those associated with Seigaku would suddenly snap at the sight of Amatsu. Away from the yelling, little Tatsuya was confused, his face pinched. Why were these nii-chan's ranting at his onee-sama?

Amatsu seemed to connect the puzzle pieces. She opened her mouth in realization. "You're those kids I met during my first week in Tokyo. Ha~. Did you learn how to play tennis yet?"

"Don't taunt us!" Kamio exclaimed defiantly.

Amatsu began to smile, not dreamy or bright, but sadistic like Fuji. "Little children shouldn't shout at their higher-ups," she stated simply, angering the second-years more. Ryoma felt like he was being mistaken for another person who was overdoing the acting gleefully. _Tch._

_You're dead,_ thought the Fudomine tennis players in sync. Hatred and despise on their faces like an open book. They glowered at Amatsu's smaller frame compared to their muscular or lean statures.

Tezuka put a hand on his cousin's shoulder to indicate she should stop horsing around. "Forgive her, she wasn't...happy about transferring to Tokyo." Amatsu made a "hmm" sound and turned around to go sit back down by her friends. Talim commented how funny that was to rebuke older _men._

Tachibana eyed Amatsu's form. "Is she really powerful like everyone says? We've been getting information from Mizuki from St. Rudolph. He says she played like - how he said - a _falcon_."

Tezuka understood the loaded word, he shot a look at Amatsu's back who flinched uneasily.

The Seigaku regulars sat in an tight circle in one bench, leaning in and whispering amongst each other. Ryoma was forcibly dragged into it by Momo.

"Mizuki Hajime wasn't that off. He forgot to mention that Kurosaki-chan used something called _a_ 'Falcon Save,'" Inui was saying.

"What did I miss?" Ryoma muttered sulky, his head low.

Momo wrapped an arm around his kohai's shoulder. "You're whipped, Echizen." Ryoma scowled at his senpai's useless explanation.

"We need a meeting to discuss this another time," Oishi suggested logically. "This is no place to say about our findings."

"Tomorrow, after practice," Inui said immediately. He pushed his glasses back and said more slowly, "I have...found some interesting facts about Kurosaki-chan."

Back to reality.

Lunch was done and the anticipated wait for the upcoming match came closer with each heartbeat. This final match of the day was Seigaku versus Fudomine. Sakuno stood with An at the side of the courts, showing their sportsmanship for both schools by meeting in the middle. Amatsu was in view for the Fudomine. They couldn't help but shoot her scowls, distracting them during their games. Tachibana scolded his kohais for being distracted. Amatsu watched along side with her friends bemusedly. Tatsuya was cheerful and upbeat, clapping and asking questions here and there. He distracted Amatsu from her acting, she could only smile warmly at him. Occasionally she would lose her facade as an arrogant brat to be her. Light and caring.

"ORIYA!"

"Ah! Bullet Serve!" cried the freshman trio.

"Keep it up, Momo!" supported the Seigaku tennis members. "Ike, Kaidoh!"

"Momo-chan-senpai returned the Hadokyuu!"

"The Golden Pair is flawless, not one error."

Sakuno lit up like a lightbulb when Ryoma entered the court haughtily. She waved at him blithely, smiling radiantly, and cheering, "Ganbatte, Ryoma-kun!"

Ryoma casted a sideways glance at her and her sweet face. He pulled his cap down and smirked. Singles Three proceeded.

Did he over exaggerated his power and skill _after_ Sakuno's praising? Inui speculated over the analyzation. The freshman ace was always glancing back at the auburn-haired girl when he had a chance...his power and cocky grins would increase by a certain amount suddenly...

"Darn you Echizen. If only you didn't go to Wimbledon maybe you wouldn't have evolved into such an ignorant brat..."

"Shinji!"

"Looks like Tezuka and Fujiko can't play today."

"See you another time, Tezuka."

"Ah."

"Seigaku proceeds to prefectural tournament in first place," announced the officials. The first day of tournaments ended successfully in a good note.

"SE-I-GA-KU!" cheered everyone when the matches today had ended triumphantly. They pumped their fists in the sir and declared boisterously, "Sushi at Kawamura's!"

"Kawamura was a regular at Seigaku," Kikumaru said, ruffling Talim's short hair. Katen shot the redhead a 'don't do that' look. "He quit when entering high school, but his dad says we can go eat at his place everytime we win!"

Amatsu perked up. "Sushi?" Her livid eyes were sparkling much like Sakuno on her whimsical days.

Katen eyed her strictly and sighed, surrendering. "Fine. Eat how much you want."

"Yay!" she shouted and _skipped_ after Momo and Kikumaru (who still had a grip on Talim) to the buses.

Katen sighed at his sister's rowdy antics influenced by their senpais. He picked up an unresisting Tatsuya, chiming in his childish manners, and followed with the blonde twins behind him.

"Welcome to Kawamura's!" greeted a teenage boy with thick sideburns wearing traditional white serving clothes and a fabric headband. The restaurant was cozy and small and original with tatami mats, slider doors, banners, and low tables and cushions. It even had second floor. Off to the right was the counter and glass display.

Many of the Seigaku team enthused their pride and friendliness to the brawny teenager.

"Nya, nya, Taka-san, we won first place in preliminaries!" Kikumaru said.

"I have some of it recorded, Kawamura, if you wish to see it," offered Inui.

Momo grabbed Amatsu's arm like she was a toy to brag about and tugged her forward. "Look, Taka-san, buchou's cousin! She's a little Ichisuke!" Amatsu frowned at her nickname which apparently went universal to her senpais.

Kawamura smiled friendly at her. He was tall and heavily muscled, Amatsu realized. He must've trained his body for tennis before. Too bad he couldn't play anymore, but maybe...

"You'll love the selections we have here," he was telling her. Amatsu thanked him and pardon herself and her siblings.

Discarding her shoes, Amatsu seated herself at the low Japanese tables on a cushion next to Sakuno. Kachiro, Mizuno, and Horio took the available seats around them. Kawamura's loud and rowdy father began talking to Ryuzaki-sensei and Tezuka. Kawamura served tea and juice. Celebration and elation was in the air.

Devious Momo and Kikumaru evasively steered Ryoma to the girls' table. He sat reluctantly across from Sakuno who blushed. Ryoma casted darting glances at her and huffed like he was depressed. Amatsu raised a peculiar brow of the reaction between the two. Now that she thought about it, Saku-chan usually did mention Echizen out of the blue multiple times. And the senpais were always playing around and teasing the two cheekily.

Sushi made her forget that train of thought.

Kawamura was such a fun place to be at. Earlier, Kikumaru and Momo had accidentally ate some wasabi sushi because they were sitting with Fuji and grabbed the wrong dish without looking due to their absentminded natures. They had eaten all the other non-wasabi plates beforehand and unconsciously mistaken for Fuji's.

"TEA!" they both had cried desperately. The freshmans had a good laugh, Inui was even recording such data about tolerance of spicy dishes. Was he going to put it in his Inui juice? By that ominous glint in his glasses, it was possible. Amatsu reminded herself to ditch the next training if Inui was nearby.

"This is so delicious!" Esa commented happily. She wasn't much of a seafood person but the sushi here was original and balanced. Her brother made her try a piece and she loved it.

Kawamura smiled down at her. "_**Thank you,**_" he said in English. The twins perked up at that.

"Seigaku is lucky to have supporters," Eni said. "They can win and eat all they want." He chuckled.

Raising his cup of tea, Kikumaru declared, "Cheers to Seigaku!"

Everyone raised their drinks, "Cheers!"

Ryuzaki-sensei and Tezuka had to leave, Sakuno asked it she could stay longer, and her obaa-chan agreed when Amatsu offered the auburn-haired girl a ride home. Sakuno bid her obaa-chan good night and the same for Amatsu, Katen, and Tatsuya to their cousin.

Some still ate in the pleasant atmosphere. Kawamura took a small break to watch the tournament matches with Inui and Oishi. Sitting together at one table, the freshmans had their own conversation.

"So what happened when you bumped into Fudomine?" Mizuno questioned Amatsu.

Absently, Amatsu was watching with a careful eye at Tatsuya who was playing around with the senpais: Fuji, Kaidoh, Momo, and Kikumaru. Maybe it was a bad idea to leave him in the maintenance of Momo and Kikumaru. They were trying to teach him how to play poker.

"Like I said, I met them during my first week here. I didn't _mean_ to play a match that day," she said in a steady stream like the professional speaker she was, "I was just looking around, and then I got lost and ended up at the public courts. I was training until that redhead ("Kamio Akira," Horio supplied.") interrupted me. He was telling me to get lost because only doubles could play. Of course, I was puzzled because he was yelling and whatnot, and that gloomy guy ("Ibu Shinji," Horio supplied once again that Amatsu shot him an I-don't-care look.) was muttering negative stuff. I asked if they wanted to play a match against me, and they fought me two-on-one. I defeated all their doubles formations," Amatsu explained nonchalantly. "I gotta admit, that's what drove me into masking my identity and going around to find some good players."

Horio nudged Ryoma with his elbow. "Ne, she beat them _all_ when you couldn't beat Ibu Shinji on your first try!"

A brow twitched.

"So this was all because of Fudomine," Kachiro said as he put the puzzle pieces together, "Kamio-san was always a bit pushy."

Sakuno spoke up in a soft voice, glancing between Amatsu and Katen, "A-Ano, may I ask why Katen-san, and the others weren't with you when you entered Seigaku?" Katen, Talim, and the blonde twins barely looked up at her timid question. The tennis trio were speculative, in thought with Sakuno. Amatsu inclined her head at her friends to have a say.

"Our parents took some time and consideration to our transfers," Eni replied, not minding the sudden question. "It _was_ abrupt."

"I didn't expect to transfer but I did anyway," Katen said with a slight shrug.

"My dad wasn't around because of a business trip, so it took a while to fill out registration forms," Talim answered easily as she twirled absently with a teal lock.

Sakuno nodded at the answers she received, it cleared the hazy fog that had accumulated at the first arrival her new friends had promoted.

Amatsu felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket and stealthily got it out to see what message she received. Reading the message, a small, tender smile graced her lips. She silently pressed back a reply. Like a habit, her free hand twirled the necklace chain that was exposed. Her locket.

_**I think it's the perfect time.**_

"Does Kawamura-san ever play tennis anymore?" Talim was asking the Seigaku residents.

"He mostly spends his time studying at school and working hard here," Mizuno replied then added a bit more sadly, "It's been a while since he'd played tennis. It was great."

Kachiro laughed, easing the dense mood. "You should've seen it! Every time Kawamura-senpai holds a racket, he goes into 'Burning Mode'. He starts yelling in English and heats up."

"Maybe Inui-senpai has some videos he could show you next time," Mizuno suggested.

Eni laughed. "That would be great. I'd like to hear him talk in English all crazy." The twins had become quite favored towards the ex-tennis player.

Feeling a tug on her shirt, Amatsu turned around to see her little brother, his gem-like eyes dull from the long day. He yawned tiredly. "Can we go home?"

Amatsu checked the time on a clock. "Hmm. Eight o'clock. I guess. We should probably call-"

"I texted Hisagi prior," Katen slipped in. "He'll be here in five more minutes."

Amatsu nodded and sighed collectively. She realized she was tired, too. She turned back to her friends. "We'll be going now. You, too, Saku-chan."

"Hai."

Amatsu, Tatsuya, Sakuno, Katen, Talim, and the twins collected their belongings and thanked and bowed to the Kawamuras for the meal. They promised to see their senpais the next day at school and exited the restaurant.

Waiting outside for the next five minutes was easy-going. Tatsuya kept dropping his head, almost falling asleep. That, and he was full of rich food and exhausted by the energetic day. Amatsu chuckled gently and picked him up like he weighed nothing, cradling him comfortably in her arms. Esa engaged Katen in a light conversation about some pictures her father had taken and Eni and Talim were whispering about what happened during the tournament. Although undetectably unless you were keen like Amatsu, Talim shot disapproving glances at Esa. Sakuno was staring at the adorable Tatsuya nod his head off. His eyelids fluttered.

"He's so kawaii," she whispered.

Amatsu smiled dreamily and whispered also, "Somehow, he manages to charm everyone. He had me wrapped around his finger at birth."

"Ne, Amatsu-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"I-I've been m-meaning to ask you..."

Amatsu heard the hesitation in her friend's voice. "Yeah, what?"

Sakuno felt nosy to say, "Your surname...it sounds so familiar. And somehow you and your brother look familiar, too. I'd asked my obaa-chan where your name came from. She'd just said it's an old name. Maybe a noble or samurai surname."

Amatsu nodded carefully, judging. "Something like that. Not to mention I'm rich. You might hear my name on tabloids."

Sakuno was drawn into the subject, but felt even more nosy when she asked, "Maybe. What's your mother's surname?"

At this, Amatsu tightened her eyes ever so slightly, but she said lightly, "Do you really want to know? You're so strange Saku-chan."

Sakuno jumped from her inquiring and flushed, "Gomenasai! Forget I asked!"

Amatsu chuckled offhandedly. "Daijoubu. Oh, look, Hisagi's here."

Two black sedans pulled up on the curb and parked. Esa hugged Katen, Sakuno, and Amatsu - quite awkwardly because she was carrying Tatsuya who was softly snoring - and nodded at Talim. Eni waved his farewells. The pair piled into one sedan and it drove off. Amatsu, Tatsuya, Katen, and Sakuno filed into Hisagi's sedan. Amatsu told Hisagi Sakuno's address and he drove there first.

* * *

><p>Amatsu logged off the chatroom, feeling refreshed after a hot shower and talking casually to her old friends. She had teased Flit endlessly even though he wasn't on screen and had some 'girl talk' with Paula, Kyoko, Talim (who had signed in), and Emi which bore the boys. It felt weird addressing them as 'old'. It wasn't like they were gone from her life or anything.<p>

Sighing and leaning back into her chair, Amatsu raked her hand through her glossy dark hair. Her sapphire eyes caught her phone light up and buzz, signaling she had a message.

_**So, I'll be there tomorrow at 4:30.**_

Her reply:

_**I can't wait to see you again. Of course I'll be there.**_

And she really was. Her mind sparked at the notion of seeing her best friend again. He had been busy lately, but now, he could visit her like he's promised.

Amatsu was caught into a daze at that idea when a thought bursted her bubble. Her eyes widened.

"Eh? What should I wear tomorrow!"

Amatsu was leaning to far back into her chair, due to gravity that wasn't her friend and force, she fell with an audible _thud_.

"Itai!"

The other household members wondered for the rest of the night what that thud was.

* * *

><p><strong>This helped build some clues for the next chapter. It also explained a bunch of things in it's shortness. Hope you'll stay in tune for the next edition. Can any of my fellow readers review? That, or go on my profile and vote on the poll I set up? Many thanks for the total of almost 600 hits. Somehow I feel very mellow right now. Maybe because it's Winter Break. Finally! I'll update when I can. Many character and background development next chapter.<strong>


	8. Chapter 7: Amatsu? Date? Who's That Guy?

**Disclaimer: And so, if I've owned Prince of Tennis or Bleach, I would be in the latest developments of the stories and won't be having such a boring holiday. Has **_**anyone **_**figured out the third crossover category yet? I'll give you a hint. Although he isn't in it, the characters and concept came from a Mario game. I love that game. I had played it so many times (easy mode, I'm a wimp) and never gotten bored of the plot and games. I have a poll for people to vote on so go visit my profile, **_**please**_**. This chapter explains some things Amatsu (main OC and character) has on her mind. And who is this person she texts on her spare time? Is it Paula or Emi or her doubles partner? Read on and let's see.**

Chapter 7

Amatsu? Date? Who's That Guy? Let's Go!

So many things were running through Inui's mind as he waited for the day to circulate to the end. School went by indistinctively that he had barely processed what happened except he got the highest grade on a test in science (seriously?). Tennis practice wasn't as long as usual, mainly because they needed a slight break, especially since they won the head title in the preliminary tournament yesterday, it was a well-earned break. As non-regulars cleaned up and prepared to leave campus, the regulars had discreetly changed and rounded into an available classroom accordingly.

Inui stood, leaning his back against the chalkboard, head slanted down as he skimmed somberly through his notebook, expression impossible to read (more impossible to decipher because of the lack of facial expressions and glasses). Dutifully, Oishi had arrived afterwards with his redhead doubles partner in tow and both seated themselves in the front row of aligned desks. Fuji came by and sat in the back, all to his lonesome, but it did not bother him. Kaidoh, without his signature headband, filed in gloomily and slouched in a seat. Ryoma caused quite a fuss, being forcibly dragged against his will by Momo into the meeting room. Scowling, he sat down grouchily. Inui nodded at the assembly.

He pushed himself from the wall, and began, "Tezuka is not expected to be here...so we will start out by the information I got of Kurosaki-chan's." Inui flipped to a page in his notebook as everyone listened intently. "Name: Kurosaki Amatsu. Cousin of Tezuka Kunimitsu. Has a adoptive brother Taiyo Katen..."

"We already know this," Kikumaru murmured, his head in the circle of his arms.

"Shh," his partner hushed him. Kikumaru pouted, puffing his cheeks.

"...older sister of Hikaru and Tatsuya Kurosaki."

"Hikaru?" inquired Oishi. "She has another brother?"

Inui nodded. "She mentions this briefly when speaking to Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter. I went to check on it and he attends Seishun Gakuen Junior High. The youngest brother goes to a grade school nearby. In a way they look like her." He flipped a page. "Now, the information I got on her family was hard-pressed to obtain, even with the assistance of Renji, my sources show that her mother is Kurosaki Rukia, also known as Kuchiki Rukia."

That name rang a few bells to Fuji, Oishi, and Kikumaru. The younger assents were puzzled at their senpais reactions.

Fuji spoke up slowly, "As the famous dancer? My sister has some magazines and pictures of her. She tries to see her shows when she cans. I heard she's quite graceful. I may have also heard Esa-san talking about her last week."

Oishi seemed to catch Inui's drift. "Kuchiki...Kuchiki...isn't that-?"

Inui finished for the vice-captain, "Kuchiki Rukia-san is the sister of Kuchiki Byakuya, the CEO of Kuchiki Corporations."

"Is that why Kurosaki-chan seems so rich?" Momo asked. "I see her in a fancy car with a personal driver almost everyday. And look at her tennis equipment, it's Puma and whatnot. That's _expensive._"

Ryoma was silent, and so was Kaidoh. They had no say to this. Ryoma was slightly frowning, staring far away into the surface of his desk. Kaidoh was interested at first, then shrugged it off.

"In tabloids and such, it says that Kurosaki-chan may be the next successor after Kuchiki Byakuya, for he has no heirs of his own," stated Inui. "Shikashi, she declines every rumor and only works for her uncle off and on. It explains why Kurosaki-chan is fluent in other languages such as English and Chinese. Kuchiki Corporations extends to America, England, China, South Korea..." Inui cleared his throat. "I do wonder if Atobe Keigo knows of Kurosaki-chan's wealth, if he does, he does not say so. Kurosaki-chan's intelligence ranges far. I found an American article about her uncle sponsoring a Youth Tennis Program and she was present at that time. That was nearly a year ago."

Momo raised a hand. "What about Ichisuke's father? Any clues about him?"

Inui flipped to another page and frowned somewhat. "Iie. Not much. I have a name, Kurosaki Ichigo. It says he travels a lot and his occupation is inconsistent. I didn't do much research on him. He seems..in the dark."

"Go on, then," said Fuji.

"Kurosaki-chan's other known relatives is star-athlete soccer player, Kurosaki Karin. But she's married, and keeps her maiden name during her profession."

"Anything else?" Momo asked.

Inui seemed to brace himself for the next sentence. "I think...that Kurosaki-chan learned tennis at a very secluded place. And when I mean secluded, I don't mean like in the wilderness, but it's a place where it's hard to enroll in without connections or the money. Almost diverse. It's called the Tennis Society. Split into four main branches."

"Never heard of it," Momo remarked. He glanced at his kohai. "What about you, Echizen?" Based on his background and blood connection with the Echizen Nanjiroh, who was a star in the tennis world, he might have some clue.

Ryoma didn't answer right away. He pondered at it, and mumbled, "I'm not sure. I'll ask my old man."

Fuji's cerulean eyes were out in the open. "Tennis Society? I saw a brochure about it. Highly expensive, but a perfect learning environment for young athletes who wish to start a career as a tennis player. Their learning techniques and equipment are up-to-date and they invite many from other countries. I think it's far down south from here."

Inui nodded at the tensai's sharp evaluation. "Not many news or rumors from the Tennis Society ever reaches from the outside world until they have official tournaments, which are broadcasted live. Their level of tennis is professional - kids of our age learning far advanced then we have ever reached."

Kikumaru swallowed. "So you're saying that-?"

"That Kurosaki-chan is a professional tennis player?" Oishi finished the dangling sentence.

Inui was silent for a moment. "Most possibly. If she could stand up to Tezuka, as undefined as their game was, she could stand up to all of us at once."

"She's just a little girl," muttered Kaidoh.

"And Echizen is just a little boy," countered Fuji, causing the latter to flush irritably.

Inui sighed and closed his notebook. "I have to do more to research on Kurosaki-chan. I would ask her, but she's always in her own world. And I would rather stay away from Tezuka. I need to find out how those two are related. I'll call Renji sometime. And maybe Fuji could help?"

Fuji chuckled sadistically. "I think it may be worthwhile. Why not?"

"I guess this meeting is adjourned!" Kikumaru announced, jumping from his seat.

Oishi sighed. "You just wanted to say that."

* * *

><p>Amatsu entwined her fingers together, trying to find her grit, as she waited patiently, but skittishly, sitting on a park bench. Repeatedly she tapped her foot on the ground, maybe it was an unconscious thing. She was dressed in casual apparel, a green and white striped, v-neck shirt, a black undershirt, white khakis, a thin black belt, and some trendy slip-on shoes. Her glossy midnight hair was simply brushed and left alone. Her bag settled beside her. She wore no make-up or any excess accessories but her locket that was tucked under her shirt. Actually, after debating to herself, she produced her single star-designed cap and slipped it on. She felt more reassured to have something familiar with her.<p>

The park had a playground for little children, the little toddlers horsing around on swings or sandboxes with their parents watching like hawks over them. A widespread margin of trees, casting shades upon the clipped lots of cleanly cut grass. The embracing fresh air helped Amatsu clear her mind of distractions. Today was just relaxation and fun and the day of reunting with an old friend. Again, she referred to her other friends 'old'. She needed to break that habit.

The sun was warm and bright, reminding Amatsu of someone who was like the sun to her. Switching habits from tapping her foot, to touching the chain of her locket, her mind wandered. With the sun shining down at her, the brim of her cap projected a rim of shade upon her troubled angelic face.

"**It's a good thing you wore that cap. I'd thought I'd never find you.**"

Amatsu made a "Eep!" sound, jumping from out of her own skin as she was found caught of guard (her stoic cousin would be ashamed of her). The voice was male and had spoken in distinct English.

Another figure of a looming shadow was engulfing her form. She glanced up from under the brim of her cap and saw a young man grinning handsomely down at her.

"_Alex!_"

She jumped to her feet and hugged him.

* * *

><p>"Man, that was a good snack!"<p>

"Momo, you ate ten hamburgers, and they were all _meals_," interjected Ryoma.

Both senpai and kohai exited the burger joint and lolled down the street with nothing else to do. They were still dressed in their school uniforms, their sports bags slung over their shoulders, for not heading home after school. Cars chucked past them on the road and civilians chattered along the street. It was a nice day to relax and chill after a busy tournament that included days of intense training before that. Ryoma was trying to regain his vigor after the observation of the game between his buchou and buchou's irking cousin. Especially when that annoying bronze-haired Katen kid had insulted him. He felt downgraded and tossed aside (in a way he was because he was late on the day of the preliminary tournament). At least none of them were around. He despised the outsiders, and after what he just learned, they were like foreigners.

"What should we do today?" asked his rowdy senpai.

Ryoma answered with his trademark, "Hn."

Momo scratched his head, thinking. "Fuji and Inui-senpai went to the bookstore. Kikumaru-senpai and fuku-buchou went to the pet store. Buchou should be home by now. Kawamura-san should be working. Who cares what the hell Viper is doing..." He glanced down at his blank-faced kohai as they walked. "Should we go to the tennis store or something? Maybe the park and hang around?"

Ryoma shrugged. "I have nothing to do at home besides homework."

Momo scoffed at that. "Homework can wait. Ah! Maybe we can go find Kikumaru-senpai and fuku-buchou at the pet store."

"You just want to eat at the ice cream shop across the street from there," Ryoma accused, his cat-like eyes narrowed at the taller boy.

Momo ignored him and grabbed his arm. "Let's go!"

"Ah! Momo!"

* * *

><p>"Hora, Oishi! This fishie is cute, too!"<p>

"I can't have all of them, Eiji."

Kikumaru straightened up to peer through another fish tank, swirling with gold fishes. Through the glass, his cheeky face was even cheekier. "He, he. They're all looking at me." A gold fish faced him across from the tank glass and breathed bubbles. Kikumaru smiled. "Konnichiwa, to you, too."

Oishi let his doubles partner be, and skimmed through the shelves of fish food and packs of sand and pebbles. He selected the correct container of fish food and went off to go purchase it. Kikumaru was still amusing himself, watching some turtles swim slowly in water.

As this happened, the door bell chimed, and ambled in two Seigaku students. Kikumaru glanced up and tilted his head queerly. "Eh? Momo? Ochibi?"

Momo grinned into his ice cream cone. Ryoma shook his head, sighing exasperatedly, but guiltily had some ice cream, too.

Oishi and Kikumaru walked over to them. Momo just winked. "Thought we could hang out."

Ryoma said bluntly, "He just wants to eat, but said he was bored, too."

Kikumaru laughed comically. "Let me guess, he ate burgers before coming here." Ryoma only nodded amiably.

"We can swing by the arcade," suggested Oishi, seeing that his partner and kohai needed to entertaining distractions. Tennis was an option, but maybe not today.

Kikumaru and Momo exchanged goofy grins. Then, Kikumaru, his vision as sharp as ever, saw something past Momo, and through the windows of the pet shop. Even further than that.

He said uncertainly, "Oi, isn't that...Ichisuke?"

Ryoma's brow twitched. Everyone went to the front of the shop to peer for the target. At the little ice cream stand, two figures were buying some frozen treats. One was familiar, her slender form and trademark cap detectable. The guy with her was a mystery. He was built like a runner or swimmer, much like Katen.

Oishi spoke slowly in a whisper, "I have a feeling..."

"Let's spy on her again!" Momo said eagerly. Kikumaru nodded enthusiastically. Great minds think alike. Were their minds great at all? The last time they had spied (and revealed themselves) on Amatsu had been a marvelous outcome. They saw her play _real_ tennis. Now she was with some random, unknown guy that didn't look like he came from here. He sure didn't attend Seigaku or any of the other Tokyo schools.

Ryoma was reluctant, but curious. Unlike his senpais, he didn't spy, he approached, but Momo seemed to anticipate this and had a grip on his arm before he could take one step. Ryoma sulked and finished his ice cream.

"Should we head out?" whispered Kikumaru.

"Ichisuke and that guy are still there," whispered back Momo.

Oishi furrowed his brow, thinking, or fretting. "Is she...on a date?"

Momo and Kikumaru gasped at that notion. "Maybe she is!"

Ryoma said dully, "You guys are so gullible."

"It might be true!" Momo protested.

Kikumaru got their attention, waving his hand at them. "Ichisuke's moving! She's going down the street!" The four tennis players (and novel spies) watched Amatsu and her male friend eating their ice cream and chatting friendly as they strolled down the sidewalk.

Ryoma, Momo, Kikumaru, and Oishi edged out of the pet store and hide and traveled down their side of the road. They ducked behind lamp posts and store signs (except Ryoma, he walked normally out in the open, pretending he didn't know the bakas), keeping a wary eye on their targets.

It was hard to catch a glimpse of Amatsu's 'date'. As they were edging down the left side of the road heading west, Amatsu and her 'date' were on the right side. Amatsu was obscuring much of her friend's features as they walked closely ahead of the Seigaku tennis members.

"We should call Inui," Kikumaru said in a hushed tone behind the secrecy of a post as they paused somewhere down the street. Only because Amatsu and her guy friend were examining some displayed merchandise, their backs to the 'spies'. Weird glances were bounded their way but they thought nothing of it. Ryoma leaned against a store wall, bored.

Oishi took out his cell phone from his bag and dialed the data player's number. As he waited, Amatsu and her acquaintance were on the move again.

Momo asked, "Ne, Oishi-senpai?"

"Yeah?"

"Isn't that the bookstore Inui and Fuji-senpai are in?" Momo pointed at the town store a dozen yards away.

Oishi flipped his phone shut. "That's right. Let's go in."

As discreetly as they could, the four boys slipped in the bookstore and tried to locate their teammates. Ryoma (unwillingly) and Momo (willing) were on the lookout of their targets by the windows at the front of the store while Kikumaru and Oishi scouraged shelf by shelf for their friends. The spectacled data player and smiling tensai were at the very back. They both glanced up surprisingly when their classmates rushed at them.

Kikumaru spoke before they could, "We found Ichisuke on a date with some guy we don't know! They're across from here!"

Inui's glasses glinted ominously. "Really? Let's go, Fuji."

Fuji chuckled bemusedly and set down the book he was holding. "This might be fun."

They rejoined Momo and Ryoma at the front. They saw, true to Kikumaru's words, Amatsu and her friend. They were friendly and comfortably to each other, their arms brushing as they observed some birds in cages. Amatsu let out a laugh when a parrot spoke to her hilariously. The seller was telling the couple some interesting facts. Inui had some new interesting facts of his own, now written in his handy notebook supposed for their target. Fuji had his phone out and was taking valuable pictures.

The prime couple started moving again. Amatsu lightly tugged on her friend's wrist (did not go amiss by Inui), ambled down the street, and turned the corner merrily.

The undeveloped group of sneaky spies hurried frantically to trail after them. They abruptly splited to hide behind objects lining the sidewalk. Then they regrouped and ghosted behind the couple.

It went on and on.

Around five-thirty, Amatsu and her 'date' took a snack break at a small, cozy outdoor diner. Momo looked so wounded that he couldn't join them and sulked. Oishi suggested they go to the sub shop across the street. They sat at the counter windows, clouding themselves with menus or newspapers. Ryoma huffed, and leaned on the counter. They sort of got a glimpse of Amatsu's company. He was probably eighteen or nineteen. His hair was dark and his bangs split like wings to either side of his face, in the view of his eyes. For a male, his features were soft with the lightest of definition, but not thick or plump. Like that could fool anyone, the slick of his neck dove into an elegant curve, and, as he wore short-sleeves, his arms were deft and compact; he had been training himself definitely. He looked tall, about Momo's height. And his shoulders were set straight, but lax.

The thing is, how could he make Amatsu smile without trying?

* * *

><p>Amatsu sipped her ice tea after pouring a packet of sugar in it. She smiled at her friend. He was eating his slice of pie.<p>

"You keep smiling at me," remarked Alex, speaking in English.

Amatsu smiled even more, unsuccessfully suppressing it. "I guess I am. Am I not allowed?" She also spoke in English. Perfect, without flaws or difficulty. Her voice sounded the same as if she spoke Japanese.

Alex chuckled. "Do I look like a law enforcer to you?"

They both laughed.

A few seconds later Amatsu asked curiously, "Alex...why aren't you wearing your cap?"

Alex touched his head. "Do you want me to put it on? I have it in my bag."

Amatsu nodded. "It feels weird, seeing you and knowing: I have mine, but you are without yours."

Alex bent over to unzip his bulky blue sports bag, inscribed with his initials on it, and retrieved his blue cap, slipping it on correctly. Now they matched styles.

Amatsu smiled dreamily. "Better."

They ate comfortably.

* * *

><p>"He put on a cap. Does everyone wear a cap these days?"<p>

Someone huffed angrily.

"What do you think they're talking about?"

"Too bad we're not _real_ spies. They have cool gadgets."

"Remind me to buy you some for your birthday."

"I want a laser pen."

Someone grounded out exasperatedly, "Can we _please_ concentrate here?"

Two people apologized, "Gomen."

"Made made dane."

"Urusai, Echizen."

Someone laughed softly.

* * *

><p>"So they won the preliminary tournament first place?" Alex wanted to hear that correctly. He twirled a stray cherry on his plate absently.<p>

Amatsu nodded, dabbing a napkin at the corner of her mouth. Manners are manners. "They weren't exhausted or anything, just hungry for the title. They can't wait for nationals to come, you can just _see _it."

Alex scrutinized her closely, his dark eyes - darker then the blonde twins' - dove to every detail of her face. "That's not all that happened, was it?"

Amatsu pursed her pale lips. "I hate it when you're right. Okay, there was this guy who interrupted the warm-up match between me and my cousin. He was saying Seigaku didn't deserve to win because the players on their team were overrated."

"As in?" Alex prompted.

"Well, for one thing, my cousin. The guy said he shouldn't be trying anyways for the title - that Kunimitsu was _cheating_. They have Echizen Ryoma on their team this year. Do you know him? He's a champion of Wimbledon."

"The _youngest_ champion." Alex was spot-on.

Amatsu nodded lightly, troubled by the memory. "Yeah, so they have a higher advantage than the other schools. But some people think that Echizen shouldn't be able to play for nationals like he's already an outside factor."

"There's more."

"I hate that you can read me." She sighed. "That mean guy, he started _insulting_ me. I know I had caused some trouble when I permanently moved here, but I was just so darn mad at Oji." She clenched her hands together on the table top. "Echizen and I showed him who's boss, though. No worries."

"I heard from Emi who heard from Talim that Echizen resembles you," Alex said suddenly.

Amatsu humphed and crossed her legs from under the table. "_She_ thinks so. I say I'm not as cocky as that gaki." She mumbled more stuff under her breath in different languages.

* * *

><p>"Bless you, Echizen."<p>

"Arigato."

Someone chuckled bemusedly. "I think someone's thinking about you."

"You and your superstitions, Fuji-senpai."

* * *

><p>Amatsu paid the check for the treat, they gathered their bags, and Alex and her set off again. Alex asked her where they were going next.<p>

Amatsu pondered, tilting her head. "Do you want to go to the public tennis courts? Where all my mishap began?" Her bold eyes twinkled as she slowly formed a grin.

Alex grinned handsomely, not hiding his amusement. "Sure, why not?"

Amatsu clung to the older boy's arm as he followed her. She'd remembered they way because the public tennis _had_ been the main fixture of her life and antics. At least she didn't get lost all the time. Maybe sixty percent of the time.

Not noticing the tails behind the two, Amatsu and Alex chatted normally - Amatsu asking for any tiny details of the Academy that her friends did not speak of online, and Alex inquiring of her health and training and new school.

Alex brought up the subject of Sakuno.

Amatsu's sapphire eyes brightened at the thought of her sweet friend. She twisted around so she walked backwards to face her older friend. "She's very formidable in doubles! You should've seen her! When she partnered up with me, she didn't give up and we won against Katen and Talim!"

"But she wouldn't stand on her own in singles," Alex ventured, seeing the problem.

Amatsu frowned sympathetically for her friend. "Yeah...I've been pushing her to practice with the Seigaku regulars instead with her own league. She gets tired more but she doesn't back down. Maybe, just maybe, she should enroll to the Academy this summer and explore her talent there."

"But summer is for singles tournament," Alex pointed out, "and for doubles training. If she doesn't have a doubles partner, she can't enroll."

Amatsu waved that off briskly with her hand. "It'll be fine. Oh! We're here. Just up these steps!" She took Alex's hand in hers and tugged him eagerly up the concrete steps. Alex only smiled, happy to see his student having fit in to her surroundings. He could still see that sadistic, whiny kid almost a year ago.

She grew to be herself.

* * *

><p>"Are they speaking...in English?" wondered Inui.<p>

Kikumaru poked his head from the corner, from behind the raised platform concrete. He saw his kohai and her friend walked up the stairs to the public tennis courts. One of Amatsu's most visited locations. Oishi and Fuji were talking to each other, and Inui was thinking deeply to himself.

Momo revealed himself, standing freely on the sidewalk, and glanced down at his kohai. "Are they, Echizen? I didn't hear them clearly."

Ryoma nodded. "They are. I heard them saying something about Ryuzaki."

"You mean Sensei's granddaughter?" implored Kikumaru. Suddenly the atmosphere turned all cheesy and giddy, Ryoma saw his kiddish senpais grinning widely down at him. Trapped wariness laced his sharp, boyish features.

Kikumaru poked his side cheekily. "Ne, ne. Ochibi, did you know people can hear the one they like the most no matter what the situation?"

Momo was still grinning. "Or maybe you were thinking about her?"

Ryoma scowled and broke free from his happy-go-lucky senpais. Fuji and Inui were on his stomping heels as he rounded to the tennis courts silently. Oishi chastised his partner and kohai, and they also followed close behind the lead.

* * *

><p>"These place is not bad," Alex admitted as he surveyed the renovated courts with fascinated dark orbs. Up ahead on the back end, tennis players were practicing and playing their own games. Amatsu sat on an empty, nearby bench and Alex sat beside her. They both watched the players serve and volley.<p>

After a second or so, Amatsu recognized some of the players. Two from Fudomine and two from somewhere else. They were playing a doubles match against each other. The ones from Fudomine was the speed-freak Kamio Akira and gloomy cloud Ibu Shinji. Their opponents were quite eye-catching. One was a pretty-boy, his light brown hair stylishly cut, piercings on his ear, and he used a mixture of flexibility and pace in his play. His partner was tall and dementing. He had shaved bluish-lavender hair with accents.

The game was engagingly even, point after point was won on each side. Amatsu wondered if the Fudomine pair were trying to vent after losing to Seigaku again. Or maybe it was her appearance? Amatsu was watching intently, itching to play. She had trained at school but it was pretty short today. Alex leaned to whisper in her ear past the veil of hair, caps brushing.

"Who are they?"

Amatsu told him what she knew.

Alex gave her a scolding look. "You beat them up, too?"

"They were the _reason_ I started beating people up," she corrected.

Alex shook his head. "You really need to break that habit."

Amatsu pouted somewhat.

"Omae!"

Amatsu and Alex were startled at the outburst. They saw Kamio waging his racket in their direction, having abruptly stopping his game. He stood no more then half a dozen feet away. His face was contorted with fury. Ibu was behind him, slouching as usual, and vacantly looking at her. Their opponents were observing the speculation curiously.

Smiling warily, Amatsu tilted her head so her serenic face was in view. "Um...hi?" She realized she was speaking in English when Alex nudged her with his elbow inconspicuously. She coughed, and said in Japanese, "Nice to see you again, Kamio. You, too, Ibu."

Ibu muttered a dark reply.

"What's going on, Fudomine?" asked the pretty-boy, stroding forward from the court with his accomplice.

Kamio scoffed, and jerked his chin towards Amatsu. Alex sat silent and observing. "Meet Tezuka's cousin. The 'infamous capped player'."

Leaning sideways to glance past Kamio's figure, Amatsu smiled politely at the pretty-boy and his robotic-faced friend. "Konnichiwa. My name's Kurosaki Amatsu."

The pretty-boy bowed his head politely in greeting. "I'm Takahisa Kajimoto, buchou of Josei Shonan." He gestured at his serious-faced partner. "This is my teammate and friend, Reiji Shinjou." Reiji made no movement. Amatsu inwardly sweatdropped.

Kamio turned his attention back to Amatsu angrily. "What are _you_ doing here? Are you gonna challenge us again?" He was actually hoping for that. To show the shrimp's who's boss.

Amatsu smiled sweetly again and answered honestly (or bluntly), "Nope!"

Abruptly, Kamio tripped on his own two feet. Ibu told him within a long, brooding dialogue that he was acting like a fool. Amatsu stood up with her bag; Alex copying her. "Well look at the time! We should probably get going! Right, Alex?"

Alex said in unaccented Japanese. "Un. It's getting late." Heck, it was only a bit past six. The sun was still in the sky.

Amatsu waved at the fuming Kamio and his tennis friends. She and Alex escaped their sight.

Kajimoto looked at Ibu. "What was that about?"

Ibu said lowly, "Just stay away from her if you want to keep your pride."

Kajimoto and Reiji exchanged glances.

As Amatsu and Alex disappeared, six Seigaku regulars _appeared_. Hastily and unknowing.

"Kuso! We lost them!" Momo complained. Oishi patted his shoulder sympathetically.

Kikumaru and Ryoma noticed the other tennis occupants. Kikumaru said, "Kamio? Ibu? Ochibi!" (At this time he glomps Ryoma hyperactively.) "It's the buchou from Josei Shonan and the guy you pummeled!"

"I...know..Kiku...maru...senpai..." Ryoma griped, struggling to escape the redhead's grasp, his hair getting messy. "Let...go!"

Kikumaru released him unwillingly. Ryoma and Reiji had this sort of unspoken conversation and looked away. Kajimoto was greeting Oishi, Inui, and Fuji. Kamio and Ibu felt left out, growing mushrooms in the corner.

Inui asked Kajimoto, "Did you speak to Kurosaki-chan?"

"Briefly," he said.

Fuji spoke, "Do you know anything at the young man she was with?"

Kajimoto recalled back. "I think his name was _Alex_."

Inui noted that down in his notebook and nodded appreciatively. "Arigato. I think I'll do more joint research with Renji on Kurosaki-chan again." He grinned evilly. "This is getting interesting."

Fuji only had his secretive smile displayed, and Oishi, Kajimoto, and Reiji sweatdropped.

"Do we need to know?" Kajimoto stage-whispered to Oishi.

Oishi said nervously, "If you've met Kurosaki-chan already across a net, then no."

* * *

><p>"Looks like you have to leave," said Amatsu wanly in English. Her happy smiles replaced by a regretful line.<p>

Alex also smiled wanly and patted her capped-head. Both of them were at the train station. Passersby hustling and bustling busily, minding their own business. Sounds of screeching train tracks and claps of footsteps echoed. Amatsu and Alex awaited for his train to bring him back to the Academy, his stuffed bag at his feet.

"I'll keep in touch via text message," promised Alex.

"Maybe you can visit again?" Amatsu suggested feebly but knew the truth.

Alex shook his head. "Summer's getting closer. Even today I was lucky to get a break. I'll be helping the headmaster with paperwork for registrations and placings."

Amatsu sighed pallidly. Her livid eyes casted down. She tried to cheer up, grinning. "At least you bought some souvenirs for everyone."

Alex laughed. "That cost me a bunch. I think I need to get a raise as a coach."

"Coach-in-training," Amatsu corrected him.

Alex went back to business seriously. "You need to ask that girl already. I think Headmaster won't begrudge your friend. He trusts your judgement."

"I'll try," Amatsu promised.

"Have you spoken to Ace, lately?" Alex asked suddenly.

Amatsu voluntarily flushed. "No. Why?"

"He misses you," he said honestly.

"No he doesn't! He just misses having someone to tease, and-and..." Amatsu lost her words for once. "Isn't he busy?"

"His mom makes him work sometimes, but other than that, he's alone," Alex said. He touched her shoulder, imploring. "Just talk to him sometime, okay? And make sure you come back to the Academy when summer arrives. That includes Katen, Talim, and the twins."

Amatsu nodded. "I will. Whether uncle wants me to or not."

Alex tucked her cap down more securely at the same time his train pulled up and halted. "Keep wearing this. It still looks good on you. Bye, kid." Alex hugged her goodbye and boarded his train.

Amatsu was silent and waiting as a single angel in a shroud of gray and sinking orange. People passed her without thought and the time went on without permission. She saw her mentor's train start and gain some speed. Her world slipped from her sight once again.

She murmured, "Of course I'll wear it. You gave it to me, Alex."

* * *

><p>Before supper, Amatsu was playing around in the manor's garden with her three dogs when she heard someone cry her name.<p>

"Amatsu-chan! Amatsu-chan! Whoops!"

Hinamori tripped on a unsuspecting pebble and flew forward. Amatsu caught her on time. The dogs barked at the intrusion of their play.

"What's wrong, Momo-chan?" Amatsu wondered intensely by the older women's actions.

Hinamori straightened up, and handed the girl the mail she had in her hand. It was a linen Euro flap envelope. Amatsu took it and read the sender curiously. The words were scrawled elegantly in blue ink.

"Atobe...Keigo?"

* * *

><p><strong>Happy holidays to all and early Merry Christmas (Happy Birthday to my mom. And guess what her name is...<strong>_**Mary**_**. She has such an awesome birthday to be born on such a holiday.) Hope this can stir up some suspicions to you, my readers. Please review and reply your thoughts. Or go vote on my poll! I really appreciate it for a Christmas present!**


	9. Chapter 8: Mister Monkey King

**Disclaimer: Geez, I have over 910 hits and yet ONLY 6 REVIEWS! How mean can you guys get? (Brooding in the corner.) Please, **_**please,**_** give me some reviews. Oh, and about the poll, I shut it down, because people who voted actually came to me and said so (the people being my **_**cough **_**sister **_**cough**_** friend, etc.) And so, I will have to be re-playing the Mario Tennis Power Tour (hint, hint) to help convey with my story. Also, If anyone is wondering why there is little interaction of Bleach characters is because their appearances are more important later in the plot. I own nothing but my OC's and this vexing plot. Finally, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!**

Chapter 8

Mister Monkey King

Amatsu tapped her foot anxiously, staring uncomprehendingly at the decorated wall of her room. She could only gaze distantly at the paintings and pictures she had arranged as thought they were not real. Currently she was sitting warily on the edge of her platformed futon bed, but as time wore on, she stood abruptly, and began to pace troublesomely alongside the length of her bed. Her pacing were always uncontrollable, her carpet worn and ruffled. The drapes of the veranda sliders was drawn back. Glorious morning light enriched half of the room while the other half was perched within the shadows. Where the young sapphire-eyed girl designated herself.

Yesterday evening, Hinamori had delivered a letter addressed to Amatsu. The sender was named Atobe Keigo. At first, Amatsu was puzzled by the surprising mail until the truth dawned upon her. Forgotten conversations and worries flooded back to her.

For summarization: Atobe Keigo, the jerk who destroyed her dear cousin's arm.

Halting mid-pace, Amatsu's heightened gaze roamed across to the corner of her room to lock on the envelope resting in the center of her desk. Its stillness belittled Amatsu of what her response would be to that letter. She didn't know whether to throw a fit or calmly think her options through. A knock on her door distracted the girl. She straightened her act and said, "Come in."

Katen entered, wearing his his Seigaku uniform, bronze hair brushed to a downward sweep, and complexion clean and awake. Amatsu would practically observed as disleveled compared to him. She wore a boy's white button shirt with a green skirt (it _was _hot outside) and some slip-on sneakers. Her face was sullen, pale as usual, and unlively.

Like a radar, Katen sensed his adoptive sister's tension. She was liked that since supper yesterday, he had noticed. "Doushita no?"

Amatsu sighed and said woefully, "I have a lot on my mind, that's all."

"We better hurry downstairs to eat breakfast. Mistress will be driving us to school today. Hisagi-san went with Ichigo-sama for...work."

Both youngsters were begrudge of that implication. Amatsu pursed her lips. She hated her father's secrecy and so-called _job_. Half the time, the family rarely knew what the man of the household was working on, with the exception of his wife (Rukia would scare anyone who would try to pry into Ichigo's reports and well-being). Sometimes Ichigo would disappear alongside with some of the other household employees. That didn't make the thick worry lessen.

Finally, Amatsu exhaled a long-suffering sigh. "Very well." Katen nodded and left soon after, but Amatsu only crossed to the other side of her room to pluck the envelope from her desk and tuck it in her schoolbag for future references. She hurried downstairs for the day.

* * *

><p>Ryoma woke up blearily at the demanding tone of his alarm clock. His conscience reminded him he had school again today, so he ambled to his feet, waking his pet cat Karupin, who missed his owner's warm body when they were asleep. In zombie-like movements, Ryoma stretched and yawned, dragging his heavy-sleep body to the bathroom to refresh himself for the day. After he changed and gathered his schoolbag, Ryoma slumped downstairs for breakfast. He crossed the the hallway and into the dining area, taking a seat in a chair. The aroma of freshly-made food stirred his groggy senses. Luckily, his caring cousin, Nanako, cooked a Japanese breakfast - not like he disliked his okaa-san's cooking. Sitting across from him was a wall of newspaper. Father and son ignored each other.<p>

Nanako chirped him a greeting with a smile. "Ohaiyo, Ryoma-san." She gave him his plate of food and two glasses of milk. Ever since junior high, Inui's routine instructions were rubbing on him. Ryoma replied with a low, "Hn." Nanako greeted Karupin when he entered lightly and gave him his bowl of cat food.

As Ryoma recharged himself, his mind began to reboot like a computer. Memory of yesterday's meeting poured into his attention.

Abruptly he spoke in a low voice, "Oi, Oyaji, do you know anything about a Tennis Society?"

The newspaper crackled as the monk turned a page. "Maybe~" responded a grating voice. "What about it?"

"A girl had transferred at my school. She's buchou's cousin, and everyone is saying she came from a 'Tennis Society'." Ryoma mumbled.

Behind the veil of paper, the older Echizen scratched his unshaven chin. "Tennis Society, huh? You don't remember boy? I gave you a brochure before you entered junior high."

Swallowing his chewed food, Ryoma scrunched his brows. He couldn't recall that. He was about to ask more when he heard his senpai's voice calling throughout the Echizen's threshold.

"Oi, Echizen, get out here already!"

The boy cursed his forgetfulness, and unenthusiastically thanked his cousin for the meal. He grabbed his bag and rushed to get his shoes on to catch his senpai before he purposely left him behind again (if he did, that would be the third time this month).

* * *

><p>"Atobe, do you think your plan will really work?" asked a deadpanned Oshitari. He was at his school early with his tennis captainpain-in-the-neck friend and his large, brawny bodyguard-like friend. They were in their homeroom class, not yet fully occupied but by them. Oshitari was leaning against a desk, facing his gallant captain, who was already pampered for the day, sitting comfortably in a desk, feet propped up on the top, his quiet bodyguard/friend standing behind him.

Atobe only scoffed lightly. His sentences were like musings, "Of course, Yuushi. Tezuka's cousin will surely meet my requests."

"Don't you mean _demands_?" Oshitari murmured, but Atobe ignored his bespectacled friend. This wouldn't be happening if sir purple-haired _greediness_ didn't get what he wanted first. So this evening was sure to be an interesting case.

* * *

><p>Sakuno and Tomoka were walking to lunch with Katen, Talim, Eni, and Esa. Somehow, when the lunch bell rang, Amatsu had disappeared, even if she was sitting right next to Sakuno in the classroom (tsk tsk). Sakuno was confused and began to worry when Katen confessed that his sister had been acting strange since yesterday.<p>

The group of six freshmans sat under a nice patch of shade by a large, scruffy-leaved tree. Sakuno scanned the perimeter to find no sapphire-eyed girl.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced beside her to see Talim's steady amber gaze. The teal-haired grinned tenderly. "Don't worry to much, Sakuno-chan. Amatsu's just thinking and wants to be alone."

Sakuno exhaled a relieved breath. "Hai."

* * *

><p>Amatsu was on the roof, staring at the sea of land spreaded before her.<p>

Amatsu's midnight strands billowed in the distant breeze to and fro. Her sapphire eyes were dull as she thought and re-thought. She was close to the safety fence, clutching it with artistic fingers. In front of her was the school's tennis courts, blocks of storages, and the hem of sakura trees. She saw some tennis members training loosely or hanging about the perimeter. None of them was the one she needed to speak to.

She sighed forlornly. How should she approach the matter?

Amatsu picked the envelope from her skirt pocket (thank goodness it had one), and stared at it with a frown. She could remember the words that Atobe Keigo scrawled in perfect English. Cursive, she might add.

_To Miss Kurosaki Amatsu, cousin of Tezuka Kunimitsu,_

_Ore-sama's name is Atobe Keigo, heir of the Atobe line, and humble captain of Hyotei Academy tennis club. Ore-sama writes this letter personally to request your divine presence for tomorrow's afternoon gathering in Ore-sama's righteous home. Ore-sama insists that you will be accompanied by Ore-sama's rival, your cousin, Tezuka. We will speak of specifics when you have arrive. Please be graced to arrive around five in the afternoon._

_Ore-sama hopes to see you soon, Atobe Keigo._

Below that was Atobe's address and reminding notification. When Amatsu had first skimmed through the letter, she felt disturbed and irked by the writing. One, he had purposely put in Kunimitsu's name. Two, he had called himself 'humble' when his letter expressed otherwise. And three, he sounded snotty. Seriously? Ore-sama? _Ore-sama? _A vein pulsed on her forehead.

Amatsu may have never met this rich brat (ironic) personally, but this was enough to make her feel repulsed by the idea. Not only that, if she attended to the gathering (was it small or informal? That Atobe needed to be more specific), she was to bring her cousin with her. What business did that heiress (ironic, yet again) want? Amatsu clearly disliked Atobe before she ever knew him because he had hurt her cousin. Now he dared to summon her presence like she was a little child. She had so little time to decide, the letter had been sent yesterday and the gathering was this afternoon.

Amatsu gritted her teeth, and stuffed the Euro envelope back into her pocket so it wouldn't mess her train of thoughts. Below to the ground, she watched intently as some second-year tennis players had a game going on.

Yup, it was definitely about tennis.

Nearing the end of school, she would have to talk with her stoic cousin.

* * *

><p>During tennis practice, the Seigaku regulars were maintaining their physical strength and health to beat any upcoming adversaries in the tournament. The rest of the charges helped and supported the pride of their club. Tomoka was cheering for her 'Ryoma-sama', and Sakuno was distracted, trying to calm her zealous friend. After a small bit of stretches and swinging practice, freshmans had to pick up dozens upon dozens of stray tennis balls as their senpais played matches against each other. Others ran laps, did errands, scheduled matches, and trained.<p>

Katen and Eni were, of course, picking up balls, when Oishi suggested they could play a doubles match together against a second-year team due to their awesome tennis. That made their day...and discouraged some others. Talim and Esa opted to idle instead of train since everyone was so busy already. They sat in the thick of trees, watching Katen and Eni, and talking (trying to ignore their rivalry towards each other).

Sakuno still could not find Amatsu.

There was no slender figure with midnight hair tucked under a cap and sapphire eyes littering the courts. Her obaa-chan was in her office, preparing the plans for the next part of the tournament, and Tezuka and Oishi were in and out, monitoring their team. Sakuno stayed near Tomoka, watching Ryoma beat his senpais in simple games (when it came to doubles, he became sour).

* * *

><p><em>One step in front of the other. When did I ever feel lost? I just made a pun to myself. Grr, I'm losing my touch.<em> These were some of the things Amatsu was stressing over when she stroded to the courts. Earlier, she was in the library, trying to calm down by reading or searching the internet, but it still did not erase the fact that she needed to speak with her cousin. She had skipped practice - although it was not mandatory to her - and had been evasive to her friends since this morning. Tennis practice should be ending soon.

Upon entering the tennis courts, members were cleaning the courts and putting away equipment. She could find none of her friends amongst the perimeter. The rest of the boys should be dressing right now. Amatsu decided she had to wait a few moments longer and leaned against the green fencing of the courts, not far from the dressing room block. Her bag was shouldered and her gaze downcasted.

She perked up when she heard some familiar voices. Exiting the dressing room were Fuji, Inui, Oishi, and Tezuka. Immediately, her feet stroded towards her cousin. Her senpais glanced inquiringly at her approach. Their kohai's vivid eyes appraising as she went to her cousin.

"Kunimitsu," she began, then debated how to start, "I-I really need to speak with you." She noticed her other senpais and added, "Privately."

Tezuka raised a queer brow. He nodded and dismissed his friends. Shooting curious glances at the cousins, Fuji, Oishi, and Inui walked away.

"What is it, Amatsu?" Tezuka asked.

Amatsu bit the inside of her lip. Then she took out Atobe's letter and presented it to him. Tezuka opened the envelope and read the letter, his eyes narrowing as he did.

"Atobe..." Tezuka said lowly.

"Do you have an idea why he wants to meet me?" Amatsu asked.

"Anything he does has a reason," Tezuka only said.

"He's the one who deteriorated your arm, ne?" Amatsu ventured, sounding protective of her cousin.

Tezuka sighed. "Hai. If Atobe wishes me to accompany you, then I shall do so."

Amatsu pursed her lips, vexed. "I guess so...Hopefully he's not going to berate us - or gloat. Kami, I can't stand anymore narcissistic people." She met her cousin's clear gaze. "Do you want to stop by my house? Or I can get Kira-kun to pick you up along the way."

"That will suffice," agreed Tezuka.

* * *

><p>About an hour before the gathering should begin, other young men around Tokyo and neighboring prefectures set off as well. One pair had boldly taken a train earlier to reach their destination on time despite the lavishing gift someone had given to them to ride a helicopter. Another pair in Tokyo took a bus and awaited, staring out the windows as they sat in the same seat. Several more young men rode in taxis. One more hour until five...<p>

* * *

><p>"So...you're leaving?"<p>

"Hai."

"Then, you are coming back for supper?"

"Hai."

"What's the point of coming back for dinner when you're going to a mansion for a so-called gathering where they'll probably serve food anyway?"

Amatsu had an innocent smile on. Rukia was deadpanned as her daughter said cheerfully, "When someone's rich, they have the best snacks!"

Rukia pinched her daughter's cheeks, a puff of steam emanating from her ears. Trapped, Amatsu waved her arms in panic. "You glutton! It's still a mystery how your stomach's a black hole!"

Katen was in the background of the front hallway, not helping, not commenting, only he sweatdropped. This scene was like a comedy show. Amatsu was dense, and Rukia was stubborn.

Down the hallway, Katen saw a blonde Izuru emerge, ready in his casual suit, car keys in hand.

Katen coughed, gaining the attention of a scowling Rukia and wary Amatsu. Amatsu understood and used the excuse to her advantage. She edged away from her okaa-sama. "I-I guess I'll be going then! Kunimitsu's waiting! Ja ne, okaa-sama; Katen!" She waved and hurried out the front door, Izuru not far behind her.

"Come home soon!" Katen called after them. He closed the door. When he turned around, he saw his inquisitive adoptive mother. Her gem-like eyes held so many thoughts to be said. Only, she said calmly, "Go do your homework, Katen. Amatsu will have a lot on her mind when she returns home."

"Hai."

* * *

><p>Every since Amatsu had picked up Tezuka from his home (she had about five minutes to greet her wonderful aunt) and acknowledged each other, the remainder of the trip was met in silence. Tezuka and Amatsu didn't have much to say to each other anyway. Whatever Amatsu would normally ask of her cousin would come in strips of questions, and it filled in many blank spots of Amatsu's memory. Like the tennis team of Hyotei or how far Atobe lived. It didn't matter, she would learn along the way.<p>

So...Atobe Keigo, making (ordering) Amatsu and Tezuka to rendezvous at his mansion for a stupid, uncalled-for gathering. Amatsu was in her presentable daily wear, not sure if Atobe preferred formal and such. She didn't have her cap, her medium-length hair brushed down. Her silver locket was tucked under her long-sleeved, black-and-white striped shirt - sleeves unbuttoned and folded back - and over that a comfy v-neck sweater vest with a crest. Amatsu preferred jeans so she had a dark blue pair. Lastly she had ankle-high boots. She stared dreamily out the car window.

Her cousin was traditional and perfect as usual on a normal day. Tezuka had a beige button shirt, his watch, clean glasses, tan pants, and black shoes. He wasn't expecting much of a show either.

Izuru checked the address Amatsu had written him and turned into another empty road. Barely any cars were nearby and Amatsu noted that the pampered scenery on either side of the road marked a residence up ahead. The road was cleaned and unstreaked. Lamps followed the road.

A few minutes later, trees lessened from the view and the road widened. Amatsu saw an outline of a gray brick fence and arched, solid bar gates. Izuru stopped at before the gates next to a voice box post like at fast-food restaurants.

"Welcome to the Atobe residence," outputted a mannered voice. "Please state your reason of presence."

"I am here to dropped off Kurosaki Amatsu and Tezuka Kunimitsu, requested by Atobe Keigo," Izuru said simply, unfazed.

"Young master has been expecting you. Please enter."

One side of the gates screeched open and Izuru drove into a spacious clearing. Amatsu and Tezuka saw a white marble fountain spouting sparkling water into its bowl. Rows of multicolored flowers planted in boxes in front of the mansion's base. The mansion itself was four times larger than Amatsu's family manor, perhaps three stories in all but very wide, ornated, and magnificent. Trimmed bushes were shaped into figures of animals, pedestals of marble statues aligned along the length of the mansion's front. Izuru rode around the circular lot until they were by the stoops. A butler, who was patiently waiting, walked down from the stoops to graciously open the car door. Amatsu gratefully got out, and so did Tezuka passively. Izuru bid goodbye and left the residence like he was told to.

The butler bowed his head. "Welcome, Kurosaki-sama; Tezuka-sama. My young master has been expecting your arrival." He turned around. "Please follow me."

Amatsu and Tezuka compatibly walked side-by-side behind the leading butler. He led them into the grand mansion, the tiles floor polished and shiny. Although it was only the entrance, the lack of decoration was appealing to the mansion's wholesome architecture. Amatsu guessed they took the main hallway down on the right side, the walls high and windows above shone in fresh light from outside. Paintings in carved frames hung from the walls, and so did mirrors. Did Atobe like looking at himself? Amatsu thought leeringly that Atobe's family loved to display their wealth freely while Amatsu's family showed their history.

It was a good thing that they didn't take much turns, the main hallway was the basic path. They took another right turn into a smaller hallway and past three doors until stopping at the fourth. The butler pushed it wide.

Inside was probably a small dining or socializing area to the Atobe point of view. The center was a long table with laced linen and small vases of trimmed flowers. Everything else was decent yet lavishing, like the French windows or violet silk drapes.

Tezuka raised a brow at the waiting persons. "Tachibana? Yukimura? Sanada?"

The two buchous and fuku-buchou glanced up from their seats near each other at the long table. Presumably, they were having a discreet conversation.

Yukimura smiled politely. "Tezuka. It's been a while. And..." The blue-haired buchou glanced at Amatsu deeply. She stood passively almost like her cousin. "You must be..."

Amatsu bowed her head. "Kurosaki Amatsu desu. I'm Kunimitsu's cousin."

Sanada seemed dubious, probably having heard of her reputation. Yukimura chuckled softly. "I had never heard anyone ever call him that."

Tezuka recognized the rest of the persons and acknowledged them respectfully. "Kajimoto. Shiraishi. Kenya." Amatsu was listening intently, having some faint realization of who these young men were. Kajimoto was the one she and Alex had bumped into when he had visited. Yukimura and Sanada were Kunimitsu's rivals from another school. Shiraishi and Kenya...

Kajimoto sat about four chairs down from Tachibana. Shiraishi and Kenya about two seats down from the Rikkaidai pair.

Shiraishi was looking at Amatsu with a small smile. "Konnichiwa. My school has heard a lot about you. I'm Shiraishi Kuranosuke." He gestured with his hand (the other one was bandaged, Amatsu noted). "And this is Oshitari Kenya. We're from Shitenhoji in the Kansai region."

"That's kinda far," Amatsu wondered. "How did you get here so early?"

"We asked our coach if we could leave early to take a bullet train," answered Shiraishi.

Tezuka took a seat on the left side of Yukimura. They exchanged nods. Amatsu took the across from her cousin next to the fierce Tachibana.

"So mister demanding dragged all of you here, too, huh?" Amatsu asked aloud.

The other young men were miffed by her vocabulary. Kenya snickered silently. Ignoring it, Tachibana sighed. "Apparently. But so sudden...?"

"I don't know why I'm here," murmured Kajimoto. "I hardly know Atobe Keigo."

"Maybe because you're a buchou," suggested Tachibana.

Shiraishi glanced around. "If that's true, then wouldn't there be more buchous from this area? Like from Yamabuki or Rokkaku?"

"Because they're not worth mentioning," supplied a new voice from the doorway. Everyone turned their heads to see Oshitari Yuushi walked in calmly with Mukahi Gakuto, Shishido Ryou, and Ootori Choutarou. Where was their precious leader and bodyguard?

"What do you mean?" inquired Yukimura.

Both Oshitaris gave each other a small, warm greeting. (They looked nothing alike.) Although, Kenya was grinning goofily, his unwavering eyes not matching his expression. The four Hyotei regulars sat at the far back end of the table, leaving the end and corner unoccupied.

Oshitari gave a brief example. "If you are not seen a challenge to Atobe, he did not invite you. I heard he invited Sengoku, yet he's not here. It's five-fifteen, already."

Tachibana sighed again. "That baka. He probably didn't care."

Amatsu wanted to start this conference already. "Where's the monkey king?"

"Who's a monkey king?" drawled a suave voice. Walked in an elegant Atobe and his silent shadower. He glided on one side of the table, and stopped diagonally by Amatsu's chair, his expression demanding and pretty.

Amatsu tilted her head at him, smiling knowingly and sincerely. "Ah, sumimasen, I meant _mister monkey king_."

Atobe scoffed. "You're uncute." He walked to his chair. By then, servants of the mansion began to pour in with glasses of refreshments and artistic snacks. The Hyotei regulars ate like nothing out of the ordinary. Amatsu's plate of snacks would disappear from people's sights when it seemed like she was just sitting there.

Yukimura smiled at Atobe. Sanada did nothing but inclined his head (he had no cap). "So what are we meeting for today?"

Atobe twirled his finger on a glass rim. "Ore-sama's glad you asked, Yukimura. To honor the grand request Ore-sama has for Kurosaki Amatsu."

Amatsu known of this. She inquired, "What for?"

Atobe gestured with his finger. Servants converged forward to hand each of the guests a brochure. The second Amatsu touched the folded paper, she knew what it was about without looking.

* * *

><p>Ryoma shuffled through the the drawers of his desk, having no luck in his closet or bookshelf. His room was a clattered mess, articles of clothing and junk covered the floor. His sharp eyes tore through folders and masses of papers as he checked a drawer. Nope, not that one. Next drawer. <em>Shuffle, shuffle<em>. Ryoma abruptly grasped a crunched brochure. The brochure was printed in color and had descriptive pictures.

Ryoma read the top. _Tennis Society._

* * *

><p>The Tennis Society. Amatsu's place of education and training before Seigaku. Her true home and origin.<p>

Atobe saw the distant cast of her pale face and smirked into his glass. "Ore-sama sees you understand."

"Not really..." Amatsu mused, gently setting the brochure down on the table. Others continued to peer through it interestedly, all except her cousin. Kunimitsu said nothing.

"May Ore-sama ask which campus you attended in the Society?" Atobe implored.

"The Academy," Amatsu answered without hesitation.

Oshitari flipped to a page about the Academy, everyone else copying him. It showed a decent picture of the courts, and a headshot of the headmaster. Amatsu felt nostalgic just seeing it.

"'The Academy'", read Oshitari clearly, "is the south campus, nicknamed the 'Home of the Society'. The headmaster is named Joseph Minamiguchi. Rating: four-out-of-four. The Academy is known for their varsity coach, Kevin Genshitou. The Academy is home of past champion, Alex Kagerou. The most recent-"

"Enough," Amatsu commanded quietly, her posture unmoving and cold. The atmosphere thicken in tension. She nearly _glared_ at Atobe with her brilliant orbs. "I say: get to the point before I leave."

Atobe was unafraid or rushed. He placed his glass down. "Which campus do you think suits Ore-sama best?"

Amatsu was clearly annoyed, shown by her blunt and dark manner. That stupid monkey king! He reminded her so much of Dweezil. At least Dweezil ignored her presence instead of manipulating it. She immediately answered, "Empire."

Oshitari flipped for the page of Empire and observed it. "Not bad," he admitted. "The Empire holds the previous champion, Dweezil Washington, from two years ago."

Atobe chuckled, in a good mood. "Souka...Ore-sama has a proposition for you, Kurosaki Amatsu."

"Which is-?" Amatsu probed.

"The Tennis Society is nearly impossible to enroll in without connections, money, or luck. Two in which Ore-sama has at his disposal." Atobe pointed a perfect finger at Amatsu. "And you, are Ore-sama's connection."

Amatsu caught the drift. "You're saying you tried to enroll into the Society but they rejected you?" _You deserve it, jerk._

"Not only Atobe, but us all well," put in Oshitari, indicating at the other Hyotei regulars. They nodded.

"Chotto matte," interrupted Kajimoto. "What does this have to do with the rest of us?"

Atobe held a beseeching hand. "All shall be revealed soon." He glanced between a grim Amatsu and passive Tezuka. "Ore-sama wants you to send a personal letter of recommendation to your precious Tennis Society of our registrations and to be organized in the desired campuses."

"Will they really listen to her?" Tachibana wondered, dubious.

Everyone stared at Amatsu. Her head was tilted down, gazing intently at the brochure.

"They'll listen," whispered the girl. "I have someone who can help me. Shikashi-" she glanced up to harshly glare at Atobe. "-answer the question. What does it have to do with them?" She waved a hand at her cousin and his school rivals.

"Ore-sama would never think to leave his dear rivals behind," Atobe proclaimed. "Ore-sama wishes to have challenges-" that explained what Oshitari meant earlier "-and Ore-sama wonders why Tezuka has not applied at your school long ago."

"That's his choice," Amatsu defended. "So basically, you want letter of recommendations for all of you here?"

Atobe shrugged smoothly. "For all who wish to go. Surely, your 'connection' with the Society will suffice for our needs?"

Shiraishi raised his hand. Atobe let him speak. "Atobe, you say 'enroll into the Society'. Does that mean permanently? Like year-round?"

"If you turn to the first page of the brochure," advised the intelligent Oshitari, "it states they have summer, winter, and spring courses. They are temporary."

Kenya murmured that Shiraishi was dense not to realize that. The bandaged buchou retorted flippantly that Kenya was not as smart as his cousin to realize it either.

Yukimura had a question, "Atobe, how will we managed the time to proceed training for the tournament and go to another school that is far away?"

"Sensei has agreed that enrolling to the Society will be a great fundamental way to train," Atobe replied. "The campuses of the Tennis Society have dorms. That's where we will be staying. Ore-sama suggests that you stress this to your coaches. If not, Sasaki-sensei will speak with them."

The young men conversed amongst each other, debating.

Yukimura spoke to Amatsu, "What is the performance and rules at the Academy?"

"I prefer it myself," she said, "but the Academy is based on self-training. Like I usually train alone or with my partner or with a coach. You see, summer is all about the Singles Island Open. But it's also the time to train with your doubles partner in preparation for the Doubles Island Open in winter. I had heard much about your school's Iron Discipline. I recommend you to Factory." _That's where Willy is._

"Factory it is," Yukimura agreed. He seemed keen to the idea of attending at the Society.

"What do you do during the spring course?" Tachibana asked.

"Sometimes it's different throughout the years. But in the end, we have a mandatory match for the doubles and singles rank one players to battle one another to determine which school has the best rating. Academy has four-out-of-four as you heard. And there is always something extra like out-of-campus tournaments. It's not really important for outsiders."

"Ranks?" Kajimoto caught the word.

"There are three classes of identification in the Society, Junior, Senior, and Varsity. It's not based on age but ranks. Depending on the population of of the Society from all four campuses, there are ranks, the most amount in the recent years have been five ranks. Rank one in Varsity is the highest and also the rank of the buchou. Rank two in Varsity is fuku-buchou."

"So there's only one captain for each campus?" Shiraishi summarized, and Amatsu nodded.

"Oh, and it's mandatory for everyone to have a doubles pair," Amatsu added. "The Society believes it's a good way to train and evolve."

"So much information," mused Yukimura. "It's so different here."

"How do you think I feel when I moved here?" Amatsu muttered. She spoke clearer again, "For returning regulars, they are left in the class they ended in. At the beginning of every season course, ranks are cleared, and that means you have to fight for your rank again." Amatsu's throat was getting dry from all this talking, she had to take a drink. Glancing down Atobe's direction, she asked, "Are you satisfied?"

"Ore-sama is much satisfied." Atobe smirked.

"Sono, who wants enroll?" Amatsu asked. She sighed collectively. "I have extra homework. Great."

Atobe gestured at his assembled team. "The six of us, and Ore-sama wants at least those gathered here."

Amatsu wouldn't be able to remember everyone. "Can I have some pen and paper? So I can give everyone my e-mail address?"

Atobe snapped his fingers. A servant came forward and handed Amatsu her writing utensils. Amatsu wrote one e-mail for a representative of a school. Despite already having her e-mail, she handed a paper to her cousin silently. They met each others' gazes for a second, understanding passed between them,

This wasn't the end of the conference. Atobe cleared his throat. "Lastly, Kurosaki Amatsu, Ore-sama wishes to hear the truth of who you really are. Ore-sama, for one, wants to comfirm it."

_So he found me out_, Amatsu thought sorely.

She took a deep breath and started smoothly, "I'm..."

* * *

><p>Amatsu had hurried through dinner, being evasive from her family, and rushed to her room. The second Amatsu was alone in her sanctuary, she took out her cell phone and dialed a number. This couldn't be explained in a text.<p>

"**Hello?**" answered a familiar voice in English. It tugged at Amatsu's insides.

"**Alex? Can you help me?**"

"**Amatsu? What's wrong? What do you need?**" Alex was concerned and helpful as always.

Amatsu sighed loudly. She ran her hand through her hair, something she did when she was troubled. Her hand searched for her locket, and she pressed it opened. Inside were two pictures in the surface. One picture were of her two brothers. The other was her and a boy with orange-red hair, looking happy and carefree.

"**I need you to inform the Headmaster. And then, I need a plan to ask Sakuno.**"

* * *

><p><strong>I finally finished this stupid chapter! (Jumps on bed happily.) This was the longest update I had ever done. Gomen, gomen, I had exams, and my parents are having trouble with their job and I've been reading other fanfic. Sorry for any use of Japanese words, I'm lazy to type in translation, but I have an idea, learn to watch Japanese subbed anime! Oh, and when Amatsu said Sakuno and not her nickname is because she's being serious right there. Excuse me for any use of strange grammar and incorrect timeline. It's hard to keep up with it. R and R and I'll update sooner.<strong>


	10. Chapter 9: I Really Want To Talk To You

**Disclaimer: I had some hundred-fifty so hits added since the last update and I'm so happy, but I'm not satisfied with the responses. I mean reviews is an author's life! I'm dying here! So to conclude this outburst, I own nothing but my OC and this crossover plot. There are three crossovers. PoT, Bleach, and some concepts and characters from Mario Tennis Power Tour. I apologize for grammar mistakes, non translations (because I'm lazy), and sloppy timeline. I don't really understand the tennis schedules. (Shrugs.) I've been busy lately with projects and tests and working on my other fanfic. So please bare with me for some time longer and I appreciate any comments. R&R.**

Chapter 9

I Really Want To Talk To You

Quiet in the state she was in, Sakuno replayed Wednesday afternoon again, trying to be certain of herself as she already made her choice.

_It was homeroom. Class had ended, and sensei went to switch rooms. Students lingered freely. Sakuno and Tomoka were engrossed in chatting when the auburn-haired girl was interrupted by a conspicuous tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, sapphires stared back._

_"S-Saku-chan..." Sakuno had never heard Amatsu falter in her speech - or hesitate. Amatsu was _the_ ultimate speaker. "Can...I speak with you? Alone?" The black-haired beauty fiddled with her fingers._

_Tomoka pouted grumpily about being left out as Sakuno and Amatsu went to talk privately in the corner of the classroom. Ryoma saw this movement in his peripheral vision and kept a sharp eye on them. That Kurosaki brat better not do anything stupid..._

_"Doushita, Amatsu-chan?" Sakuno wondered._

_Taking a deep breath, Amatsu spilled her intentions in an exhale, "Do you want to have a sleepover at my house?" Kami. She was so anxious that she almost switched to English._

_"Eh?" Sakuno blinked at the breezy wording, checking if she had heard that right. _

_Amatsu nodded fervently. "I thought it might be a good idea - you know - hang out and do something other than tennis." She felt like a hypocrite saying that last part. "The sleepover is at my house on Saturday. My chauffeur will drive you back home Sunday night."_

_"That's..." Sakuno was at a loss._

_Amatsu bowed her head pleadingly. "Onegai. You can answer until Friday if you need time." If Sakuno was uncomprehending now, just wait until she was bombarded with questions from Amatsu soon._

_"Hai," uttered the auburn._

_Amatsu smiled gratefully that Sakuno had to smile back. The second period bell rung in a dragging peal. Both girls returned to their seats amiably. During the remainder of the day, Katen, Talim, the blonde twins, Tomoka, the freshman trio, and a freshman all-star all wondered why Amatsu seemed overly anxious and Sakuno thoughtful (that didn't help her with her coordination). Ryoma only thought that Amatsu was troublesome, whatever had passed between them._

_Not long after school had ended eight hours later, Sakuno rushed to her obaa-chan's office, tripping on her own two feet. Hopefully her obaa-chan wasn't at tutorials yet for her math sessions. Gray storm clouds feuded over ahead - not surprising since it was late spring. A hazy thickness loomed along with humidity. Would it rain today?_

_When Sakuno reached her obaa-chan's office, she knocked on the door gingerly. Was she there?_

_"Come in."_

_Sakuno rushed in gratefully. "Obaa-chan!"_

_"Sakuno?" Her grandmother sat at her over-piled office desk. She glanced at her granddaughter curiously, leaning forward. "Doushita?"_

_"Can I have a sleepover at Amatsu-chan's house?" Sakuno expelled in one breath._

_Ryuzaki-sensei's wrinkled eyes fanned. "Really? Why?"_

_"Amatsu-chan wants to hang out and talk," Sakuno explained._

She sure does,_ thought Ryuzaki-sensei with an inward grin. She leaned back in her swivel chair, raising an intriguing brow. _Hmm...I wonder if this is what Tezuka was telling me about... _Aloud, she asked, "How long is the sleepover?"_

_"Until Saturday afternoon to Sunday evening," answered Sakuno hopefully._

_"Souka. Then, yes, you can go," approved her obaa-chan._

_Sakuno's eyes brightened. "Yatta! Arigato, obaa-chan!"_

* * *

><p>Something else happened between two tennis players that afternoon...<p>

_Tennis practice was hard to come by with the rain showers reported to proceed until the weekend. If indoor gyms were unavailable, tennis practice was cancelled. Many wandered home._

_Tezuka and Inui lingered in the school building, watching their club members go about. Inui was standing hunched by the window, notebook in hand. Splotching rain made the window look like it was stained with falling tears. Tezuka stood beside him grandly, hands in pockets, watching the sky cry. The class they resided in was bare of lights._

_"Tezuka," began Inui suddenly, breaking the passive silence between the friends._

_Tezuka blinked from his stupor. "What?"_

_"Your cousin..."_

_"Yeah?"_

_Inui snapped his notebook close, glasses flashing. "Why haven't you told us about her?"_

_Despite the lack of context, Tezuka understood the data player's question. "She doesn't like the publicity - or prying eyes." That last part was enunciated _especially _for Inui._

_"Renji informed me of something peculiar when Yukimura and Sanada of Rikkaidai returned from Atobe's mansion."_

_Of course he knew._

_"But I wonder," Inui continued, pushing his glasses back, "are you going to ask us the same question?"_

_Seigaku's tennis captain was silent and unmoving. His antique eyes narrowed behind his glasses. Finally he voiced his thought,"Why do you want to enroll into the Academy?"_

_"Academy, huh? Are we following your cousin?" Inui had a mischievous smile. "The countless data I could collect by her is a window of opportunity."_

_Another obvious, Inui didn't go for the fame._

_"I will tell everyone Saturday," Tezuka solemnly promised. He turned to leave._

* * *

><p>The weekdays raced on slowly like a walking turtle. Thursday afternoon, it rained and showered like the news predicted. Sakuno gazed at the darkened sky forlornly. She was delayed because she had forgotten her umbrella, left to dry in her garage the day before. Sakuno could have gone home with her obaa-chan but Ryuzaki-sensei had to prepare for the tournament and today she had tutorials. So Sakuno was left to ponder to her own devices, standing to her lonesome at the school's entrance. Outstretched before her was a field of gritty-wet ground, rippling puddles, and mines of rain.<p>

"You're still here?" inquired a cool, bored voice.

"Ryoma-kun!" gasped Sakuno, nearly jumping out of her skin. While coming from the library, Ryoma had wondered why the auburn hadn't gone home yet so late into school hours. He had snuck up behind her easily considering how ditzy the girl was.

Ryoma held up his folded umbrella. "I'll walk you home," he said.

"Ah! Ano - that's not necessary! I'll just wait for my obaa-chan when she comes from tutorials!" protested Sakuno.

Ryoma humphed. That girl was stubborn - more dense, too. "Tutorials won't end for another hour, and you have no where to go," he said resolutely.

That was too damn true. Sakuno hung her head.

Ryoma unfurled his umbrella and Sakuno hesitantly stood beside him under the fabric protection. They stroded evenly out into the humid environment. Their footsteps splattered the wet ground.

* * *

><p>"Iie, Katen! I don't want your umbrella!" Amatsu argued, stepping away from her adoptive brother.<p>

"Amatsu-sama..."

"Kochi, share with Talim! She forgot to bring hers!" Amatsu insisted. Talim didn't bother repeating herself. All the umbrellas in her apartment were _gone_. Like they had disappeared into thin air. The truth was that Amatsu had phoned Ren-oji (Amatsu's nickname for Talim's dad) to hide all the umbrella so her devious scheme could ensue. It was working so far. The five teens walked down the street to wait at the corner for their rides to arrive.

Amatsu pushed the reluctant teal-haired girl towards the waiting Katen. They bumped into each other and blinked like puzzled children. Amatsu retreated to Eni and Esa, her school uniform drenched with gray droplets, and hair flattened.

Not exchanging words, Talim and Katen strolled side-by-side closely like a couple. (Two people walking under an umbrella was considered romantic in Japan.) Just how Amatsu wanted it much to Esa's dismay. Stalking at their tail, Amatsu was smirking, Eni was bemused, and Esa was pouting. At this glorious time and moment, Amatsu sneaked to take an unsuspecting picture of the couple with her cell phone. Oh, the joy of blackmail.

Eni took this moment of undisruption to worry over Amatsu.

"Amatsu!" he whispered, complaining. "You're soaked!" She had no raincoat, the school uniform didn't regulate one.

"I was only in the rain for five minutes." Amatsu waved it off offhandedly.

Eni sighed and wrapped an arm around Amatsu. Normally, he'd never get the chance to do such a intimate action (due to a certain red-head doubles partner). Esa felt like a third wheel. She kept close to Amatsu's other side.

Amatsu absently leaned into the warmth Eni provided. She scanned mindlessly of their perimeter to pass time. What she found blew her mind. Her livid eyes widened, not believing what she saw.

In her mind: _WHAT THE HELL! WHEN DID SAKU-CHAN GO OUT WITH ECHIZEN! WAH!_

"Amatsu? Doushita?" Eni sensed his friend's tension through their proximity.

"N-Nothing." Amatsu swallowed. Eni knew she was lying because her voice rose like she was singing nervously in awkward melodies - something Amatsu did when she was baffled or had butterflies.

Amatsu marveled at the RyoxSaku moment all day. (At this time, Amatsu tears through scene to scream angrily, "I won't allow it! And don't say RyoxSaku!")

* * *

><p>Rain showers were relentless - at least they weren't thunderstorms. It went on and on periodically. No blue skies, no white clouds, and no stars. Just gray and gray. The air was sticky and humid. Moods matched the weather. Although, Saturday was a little bit better.<p>

Amatsu peevishly noticed how Echizen's been walking Saku-chan home for the previous days. It aggravated her to no end. An innocent and sweet girl like Sakuno could not be wooed by a stupid gaki. What had they've been doing? Holding hands? Going on dates? Just what? Amatsu had developed a protective sister relationship with the dense auburn-haired girl.

Amatsu was a picture of a deflated ghost in the class. She slumped over her desk. Pale, listless, and withdrawn. If any would ask Katen what was wrong with her, he would only shake his head and sigh collectively.

For once, the outdoors were drying, but the air was still thick with clinging wetness. Mother Nature was filled with buzzy things and had that washed-out nature scent. The sun peeked through the veil of leftover rain clouds. Tennis practice was ongoing, club members training to loosen their kneaded muscles.

Katen and Eni attended, doing their tennis chores. Talim and Esa didn't train today, sitting on a spare bench. That meant they had to wait until their friends were ready to go home. Esa fiddled with her hair, trying to fix it. And Talim was bored, arms crossed, watching Kikumaru having his share of fun/training. The red-head flew across the expanse of the court and flipped freely. He obviously had some pent-up energy to burn. The prefecturals were coming by swimmingly. Seigaku was thought to own the top rank again.

Sakuno and Tomoka idled at the sidelines. Tomoka had the need to support Ryoma after so long of doing nothing.

Ryoma practiced his serves with one of his insignificant senpais. He grinded them flat.

Ryoma was confronted when Amatsu - decked in her tennis attire - suddenly appeared, arms crossed, sapphire eyes speculative. It was both ironic how they were copies of another. Their proximity made static crackle in the air. Since Amatsu had her hip cocked, they were the same height.

"Nani?" Ryoma muttered, slightly confused. He didn't know Amatsu that damn much, but he did know they kept far from each other (which meant struggling for Sakuno).

Amatsu tilted her head, eying him darkly under her cap brim. "What do you day for a short game?" she said, casual and low like a boy (considering she spoke like a boy in Japanese).

Ryoma's interest aroused. He switched his racket to his left hand and nodded. "One game."

"I suggest we hurry before I get bored," Amatsu heeded before turning heel to retrieve her racket.

Second-years cleared court when they saw the double approach of the freshman wonders. Amatsu and Ryoma leveled each other across court. Amatsu had her blue racket loosely in hand. She noted Ryoma's Southpaw.

_So he's serious? Hmm..._

Ryoma held up a tennis ball. "I'll serve."

"Fine," Amatsu said and poised herself gingerly.

By then, a crowd gathered. Tezuka and Ryuzaki-sensei were once again unpresentable during a crisis.

"Oo! Ochibi's serious!" Kikumaru exclaimed. "And Ichisuke's playing for once!"

Kaidoh grunted. "About time." Secretly, he wanted to see Amatsu play again.

Katen and Eni gathered together at Amatsu's end. They whispered to one another, both seeming disapproving. Sakuno, Tomoka, Talim, and Esa, hung as near as they could be at the fence. Sakuno was troubled by the abrupt game.

_Ryoma-kun? Amatsu-chan? Will they be okay? I hope they don't go overboard._

Enough said, Amatsu was half-surprised when her opponent won an ace from her. She did not move an inch anyway. Ryoma smirked at the betrayal of one tiny giveaway that she was offended.

"**Bring it on, Ryoma,**" Amatsu challenged, bending her knees in anticipation.

"**You're not good enough yet!**" Ryoma whipped another fast-shot serve. This time, Amatsu reacted and intercepted the serve. It sped back onto Ryoma's court. Amatsu did a frontal Serve and Volley approach. She was up by the net, ready, before Ryoma could return the ball.

"Hayai!" Oishi gasped.

"She's using Split-Step again," Inui murmured, then he chuckled stately. "Fuji, did you know what Echizen said?"

The tensai smiled sadistically and said knowingly, "I believe it was 'mada mada dane'."

"Eh? Why is Fujiko speaking like Ochibi?" Kikumaru wondered cluelessly.

The next phase became a high-speed rally. One would think the fluid and deft movements of the freshmans were impossible to sight. This would rival to Sanada of Rikkaidai.

Sakuno couldn't handle being quiet at the amazing spectacle. "Ganbatte, Ryoma-kun! Amatsu-chan!" Realizing their silence, Tomoka, Talim, and Esa cheered.

"**Hey, Ryoma, tell me something,**" Amatsu began during the middle of the rally. She smacked the ball back effortlessly.

Ryoma grunted at the distraction, not believing she had call him by his given name, and debated whether he should respond. He returned the ball. "**What?**"

"**When have you been beaten onto your knees?**" Amatsu asked. Ryoma was silent for two turns and Amatsu had to smile sadly. "**By your expression I guess my cousin wasn't the only person.**"

Ryoma huffed, rebuking. "**What do you mean?**"

Her words were voiced before her racket hit the ball. Time slowed and froze. Ryoma only registered the girl's luring voice.

"**Tennis isn't about fame or ranks, but want you strive for.**"

The ball zipped past Ryoma's range and Amatsu won a point, making the score tied, one for one. Ryoma straightened to look confused and annoyed by Amatsu. "Nani?"

Amatsu gave him her dreamy, yet sad smile. "**You'll learn. Besides, cousin will decide what your team will do for the summer.**" Both adversaries settled themselves before rocketing into another rally. Ryoma was distracted by Amatsu's strange explanations and her nerving control. The ball had a curve or defined path to it impetuously. She seemed to act unwittingly, the flicks of her wrist dominating every movement. It was hard to analyze her, keep in tune with her speed, _and_ return the shots at the same time. Truthfully, Amatsu was trying to be complicated so Ryoma would have a hard time defending left-handed. She would use this technique many times to Southpaws. She had this strategy developed for three certain people she'd ever battled in her life. One was related to her...

"**You're weird.**" Ryoma felt no guilt stating that.

Amatsu bursted into a laugh. "**Tell me something I don't know!**"

Ryoma had never expected Amatsu's next move. Unpredictably, Amatsu easily spun once - smooth and swift - as the ball sailed to her range, and she veered it back in a strange angle, powered by the spin. Was it him, or was there wisps of blue energy at Amatsu's feet and around the ball? Ryoma felt pressure onto the shot, the ball was spinning acutely, and it snapped the racket from his hand. It flew back a few feet. Ryoma was stunned. Actually, everyone was. The energy formed around Amatsu disappeared as soon as it appeared.

Talim gasped loudly, grabbing at the fence loops. "She used a power shot! I thought she said we weren't supposed to use those!"

Amatsu ignored the rise of exclamations. She smiled warily. "Curve Shot." She glanced at the watching data player. "Keep that in mind, would you?"

Sakuno and Tomoka were confused and baffled. What had happened? Sakuno realized something of Amatsu's technique and her new friend's words. _A shot? A Power Shot? Like the one Katen-kun did?_

Katen pursed his lips. Was Amatsu showing her true self? Or was she showing off?

"You really are a show-off," Ryoma said, but he seemed interested by the challenge that upgraded his standards. He picked up his fallen racket. The strings were slightly worn.

"Two more points and I win," Amatsu stated, reverting back to Japanese. Ryoma bounced the ball and served, fast, but catchable.

* * *

><p>Tezuka leniently watched his black-haired cousin play a winning game for once, undisturbed. He was on the second story floor of the school building in Ryuzaki-sensei's office. His hands were in his blue pant pockets of his regular outfit. He had seen it, the move he went without for at least a year. He also had seen Amatsu in her Charge Mode.<p>

"Are you going to say anything?" asked Ryuzaki-sensei, seated in her swivel chair. She was in no hurry.

"About what?" Tezuka said, not looking at his coach.

Ryuzaki-sensei understood her double meaning. "I meant the meeting you set for."

"Atobe won't mind some extra competition," he said dismissively. He saw Ryoma switch to One-Footed Split Step. Even with the extra bursts of speed, he could only match to Amatsu, not overpower the girl. The crowd raved and cheered for their idol. Tezuka saw his team and friends clumped together. Slowly, they got to know their future obstacles. Ryoma was one of many to learn his opponents skills. His cousin's sharp, honest words ring through his mind.

_Will Echizen be able to make it? He doesn't even play doubles._

Something would have to be done, Tezuka decided. His team was going to need to prepare and respond to the upcoming request. His team consisted of him, Fuji, Oishi, Kikumaru, Inui, Kaidoh, Momo, and Kawamura (Amatsu insisted of him especially). But Echizen...

It was an odd number.

Maybe before summer vacation started, Amatsu would have an idea what to do. She had some problems on her own shoulders as well. The majority of it was paperwork and calls.

* * *

><p>Down below in the courts, Ryoma managed to scrape a point from Amatsu sharply. Amatsu seemed to be grinning. She tugged her cap down more firmly and let Ryoma serve his best. The racket met target and the ball sliced back fiercely. Ryoma was even in battle but enjoyed the hardship of earning his reputation from buchou's (nerving) cousin. This round, Amatsu gained another point by aiming for a low-bounce volley. Her techniques switched from back and forth uncontrollably only by her own consciousness. She was sneaky and counteractive like Fuji, but frustrating and quick-witted like Ryoma.<p>

Ryoma picked up his head, narrowing his cat-like eyes to his opponent. Amatsu gave him a sour grin. Not mention aloud, they both enjoyed the game, but one more point and Amatsu would win. For the last effort, Ryoma switched hands.

"Ryoma-kun's doing Twist Serve!" Kachiro exclaimed. His friends nodded beside him.

Ryoma bounced the ball, Amatsu readied herself, then he jumped and did his best twist he could perform. The ball smacked the ground and veered to Amatsu's face. She sidestepped calmly and waited for the ball to come into range with her racket. When she returned it, another rally followed in step. Both players stayed at the service line then net, never straying any further.

"**Ryoma, were you happy when Seigaku won Nationals in junior high?**" Amatsu said loudly as she concentrated in defending her court.

A grin formed on the Samurai Junior's face. "**You're stupid to ask!**"

"**You're stupid not to answer! I bet you barely cared about Wimbledon unless you knew your team was cheering you on!**" Amatsu retorted. Her counter startled Ryoma as he processed it. A slightly embarrassed and nearly undetectable _blush_ appeared on the boy's face. Amatsu saw it with her defined vision and smirked. She was thinking how kiddish the boy rarely acted, and how _cute_. (Right now, the regulars and Amatsu's friends were thinking of a way to tease the freshman ace about his give-away emotion.)

One distraction equaled one last point. Ryoma huffed and clicked his tongue. The players stood straight and eyed each other critically. Sapphire and golden orbs sent dangerous sparks of wonder and apprehension in the breezy air.

"**I watched your team since school began,**" Amatsu was saying honestly, "**and I say, take my advice, heed what my cousin gives, and your team will grow stronger.**" She tilted her head, appraising and smiling sincerely. "**Summer vacation will be **_**so **_**much**** fun.**"

Ryoma didn't understand any of the sapphire-eyed girl's intentions. Summer vacation was still far off - at least another two months (or ten-ish weeks). Many of the days in those times would be focused on training for the tournament, it got harder and harder the longer it lasted.

"Mada mada dane," Ryoma said, waving the strange feeling aside. He sauntered away to his bag on a bench.

Amatsu glided from the court to be swallowed by the regulars and her friends and other senapis. They asked her questions about the Curve Shot and how she was so fast using the Split-Step method. Amatsu was confronted at first then mellowed into a knowing, secretive smile. Only had given small, dense answers, she announced she would retire early and went for a water break, walking alone from the tennis courts. Curious and anxious, Sakuno ran after the girl as she turned the corner path.

Taking off her cap and tossing it haphazardly on the counter top, Amatsu twisted the faucet on and cupped the flowing water in her hands to splash her face and hairline. Droplets of excess sweat and water trailed down her face and cascaded the outline of her jaw and neck. Amatsu exhaled thickly. This day was getting longer and longer. Summer vacation seemed like a myth. She warded that ominous thought away and drank some water.

Sakuno stood aside about ten feet away, hesitating, She held her hand close to her chest, not sure how to announce her presence.

"I know you're there, Saku-chan," said Amatsu suddenly. She splashed more water on her drawn face, eyes down. "I heard you run after me."

Gawking, Sakuno blurted the first thing she could think of. "You forgot to bring a towel."

Amatsu chuckled at the girl's lame response. She turned off the running faucet. "I'm fine," she amended. She shook her head, midnight hair and crystalline droplets splattering everything nearby. Amatsu shone in the sun. Sakuno couldn't help but stare awed at the girl's natural beauty. Amatsu really was an angel that matched her voice. Sakuno fumbled for her handkerchief and came forward. "H-here."

Amatsu turned around to leaned her lower back against the ridge of the faucet platform. She smiled gratefully. "Arigato, Saku-chan." She took the handkerchief and dabbed her drenched face. Sakuno eyed her suspiciously. Amatsu's pale face was flushed and she was breathing more thicker than lately. Her sapphire eyes were cloudy.

Sakuno touched her friend's forehead, surprising Amatsu. Sakuno frowned. "You're warm. Do you have a fever?"

Amatsu closed her eyes at the caring touch, slightly leaning forward. "'M fine. I just have a lot of work on my hands, that's all." Sakuno noticed the lilac bags under Amatsu's eyes. Amatsu saw the auburn's worried expression. "I didn't get some sleep, but I'll rest during the weekend," she promised.

"Maybe we should call off the sleepover," Sakuno suggested gently, patting some midnight strands down.

Amatsu's tired eyes flecked wide, alarmed. "No! I mean - I can handle being stressed, and I won't do anything troublesome during the sleepover. Because...I really can't keep my mouth shut for much longer. I _have_ to talk to you alone, and it might take all day. Besides, I have some things that support me at home."

"Alright..." Sakuno trailed off uncertainly.

Amatsu rolled her eyes, pocketing the handkerchief. "Don't worry, Saku-chan. If you keep doing that, all the creases on your forehead will leave a wrinkle."

Sakuno flushed. "I-! Amatsu-chan!" she squeaked.

Amatsu laughed. "I'm teasing you, gomen." Using a hairband on her wrist, Amatsu tied her shoulder-length hair into a high ponytail, end strands sticking out like pricks. She looked very mature and prim, Sakuno realized. You could easily identify the heart-shape of Amatsu's head. Amatsu reached for her cap and stuck her ponytail through the back hole, firmly tucking it. "Let's go back. I think practice is still going on."

"Hai." Sakuno walked side-by-side with her friend.

Amatsu sure did a excellent job of distracting her. Sakuno forgot about her friend's upcoming fever and lack of sleep. Hidden under the shade of her cap brim and offhand words.

* * *

><p>The tennis club cleaned up their areas. The main groups were split like this:<p>

The Seigaku regulars went to Kawamura's sushi restaurant for their - or as they thought - informal meeting/early dinner. They just thought it was nice to meet up with Kawamura outside of school.

Amatsu, Sakuno, Katen, Talim, Eni, and Esa were waiting for their rides. Tomoka had bide Sakuno farewell earlier, saying to have fun and such. Sakuno had a bag full of needed belongings to survive a sleepover that her obaa-chan held for her during school hours. The twin's sedan pulled up first. Esa hugged Katen goodbye (quite cheekily to Talim); Eni waved farewell, and they were gone.

"Katen" - Amatsu gained her brother's attention - "I had called both Hisagi and Kira-kun to pick us up. You go with Talim so Kira-kun can drop her off. Then he'll drive you to pick up Hikaru and Tatsuya from school along with grocery shopping. Help him. Okay?"

Katen was confronted by the sudden request but otherwised agreed. "Hai."

Amatsu smiled at Sakuno. "Hisagi will be taking us straight to my house."

Sakuno shifted from foot to foot, nervous. "Can't wait."

When no was noticing, Amatsu touched her forehead, and deducted her temperature was worsened by today's exercise, a sheen of heat and sweat clung to her. Since she was wearing her cap, it was easy to conceal.

Amatsu was relieved when two sedans pulled onto the street.

* * *

><p>Tezuka was vaguely glad that his cousin gave him money to pay for his team's eating habits. He wasn't exactly made of money.<p>

Tezuka was sitting on a stool with only Inui and Kawamura's father as company. The younger and rowdier assets of his team sat and fumbled around at the low tables. Fuji was amused as always, causing his devious mishaps. Kikumaru and Momo fought over food, and Oishi was trying to make things go fair only to be disrupted by Kaidoh's and Ryoma's snide comments. Kawamura was only smiling as he passed the sushi out.

"Kaoru-chan! That was mine!" Kikumaru was complaining.

"What made you think that you could call me that?" Kaidoh grumbled and stuffed a piece of sushi into his mouth, ignoring his pouting senpai.

"Mamushi thinks he can do anything," Momo remarked bitterly.

"Unlike you," Ryoma said.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Echizen!" Momo objected.

Tezuka let them have their fun for another half an hour. Kawamura cleared the plates, and his father started cleaning in the back of the kitchen. Tezuka cleared his throat and his team stared at him expectedly.

"We have some things to discuss. This wasn't only a small dinner to attend to," he stated. Inui also seemed in tuned with his friend's notion. He had his notebook handy.

Fuji's cerulean orbs were visible, intrigued about the indifferent behavior his friend was emanating. Oishi got his kohais to settle down and listen. Kawamura also took a break. The regulars relaxed and were seated.

"I know we have been proceeding well into the tournament," Tezuka began strongly, "but many other school have also gotten stronger and well-trained. Only, we all know each other since junior high, we hold no secrets now. As we encountered before, some other schools think we have an upper-hand for many reasons." His gaze darted to the youngest of them all and away. "A selected number of schools decided to take action in different training courses. If we fall behind them, and our guard drops, we may lose our national title."

"What do you mean?" Oishi asked, concerned.

Inui spoke, "Tezuka, Ryuzaki-sensei, and I have decided to take the approach planned by Atobe Keigo."

"_Atobe?_" Momo repeated incredulously.

Tezuka's voice was low but dared listened to. "During the beginning of this week, Atobe Keigo sought out my cousin, Amatsu. He also gathered part of his team, myself, some from Rikkaidai, and many others. We were invited to his house for a informal gathering. He surprised us all by trying to enroll into the Tennis Society."

_That_ caught Ryoma's attention, his eyes opened for real.

"The problem is, majority of those invited did not understand his intentions by enrolling into the Tennis Society except Amatsu and I," continued Tezuka curtly. "The Tennis Society is a prestigious and high-ranking school district. It mainly focuses on creating future generations of professional tennis athletes and coaches."

Tezuka stopped talking so Inui could explained further. Inui said, "The Tennis Society is southeast from here. It has four campuses. Top rank is the south campus - Academy. Second place is Factory, the west campus. Then Empire is the north campus. And lastly is Union, the east campus. It is nearly impossible to enroll successfully unless you have money, connections, or you're lucky. Atobe's registration was denied."

Many chuckled. They liked knowing Atobe didn't always get what he wanted.

Inui went on smoothly, "Kurosaki Amatsu was from the Academy."

The bomb dropped on the unsuspecting team. "What?" they chorused. Fuji was silent, taking it all in.

Momo's mouth was hanging. "I-I thought you said it was-"

"Whatever reason Amatsu was able to attend the Academy is unknown to me," Inui said. "The Tennis Society is a tennis player's dream. The Society allows students from all over the world to attend. But it is very exclusive. Any live broadcast or news is hard to come by unless you are a resident of the neighboring areas."

Kikumaru was at a loss of words. "So-so Ichisuke's rich _and_ a professional tennis player?"

"She has not officially graduated from the Society yet, and neither is she there year-round anymore," Tezuka informed them. "But she was at a high-school level during her junior years - maybe above. I have not seen her full potential since some months ago."

"Sugoi," Oishi breathed.

"What does this have to do with us?" Ryoma asked.

"Back to Atobe's invite," Tezuka said, "Atobe had a request to beseech of Amatsu. He wanted her to allow his registration for him and his team to enter the Society. Amatsu is deeply involved in the Society. She considers it has her home. She will take the summer, winter, and spring courses. Her reasons for transferring here to Seigaku is private. Amatsu agreed to Atobe's request, for what reason is unknown to me, but I'm sure she had the same idea for her own intentions."

Inui explained more before anyone could speak, "Those invited to Atobe's mansion were also asked to consider to enroll for at least this summer's tennis course. Atobe wants his rivals and adversaries to be both a challenge and mutual gain for his...reputation. Or rise to power."

Fuji glanced at the stoic buchou, contemplating. "So Atobe wanted you? Are you going?"

"There are some requirements into enrolling the Society," Inui replied instead. "Every person must have a doubles partner. It is a tradition the Society initiates."

To Ryoma, this was old news, he had read the old Tennis Society brochure and knew most regulations. He felt some need to be part of the Society, to show his worth, especially towards the mysterious Amatsu.

Tezuka sighed lowly. "I need a partner if I wish to partake. But I have something to ask as well. Will the rest of you decide to enroll?"

"_Us?_" Kikumaru said. The notion was a big blank to the redhead. But is did sound exciting and good start for a future career.

"Then we have to partner up," Fuji realized. Inui nodded.

Tezuka looked at the silent and confused Kawamura. "Amatsu asked me to see if you wanted to come."

Kawamura eyes widened. "Me? I-I'm not sure. During the summer it gets really busy at the shop. But winter is okay. Although, we don't have a lot of employees. My tou-san can't even pay for me to go to another school."

"Amatsu said she has that covered," Tezuka assured. "She says as long as you pay a for the registration admission and a fourth of the dorm cost and such, she'll pay the remainder bills."

"So it's just for the summer and winter vacation?" Kawamura wanted to be sure.

"We get to have dorms!" Kikumaru and Momo exclaimed happily. That meant no nosy siblings and parents.

Tezuka nodded and eyed his team. "This will be a huge feet for us. The rules and regulations are different - even the playing styles as you saw from Amatsu and her friends. But think, we might have a worthy training schedule and compete with our other rivals. When we return time again, from the summer and winter courses, we will be ready for the national title, once again."

Inui said, "And this may be hurried, but revising it many times before, we have the double pairs already planned." He opened his notebook and read the teams. "Tezuka-Fuji. Oishi-Kikumaru." The Golden Pair grinned at each other. "Momoshiro-Kawamura." The power hitters exchanged grateful smiles. "Me and Kaidoh. And...Echizen has an empty slot."

Kikumaru glomped the poor freshman. "Nya! Ochibi's all alone! He can't come with us!"

Ryoma was doing some type of cute pouting/brooding/frowning thing. "I don't care."

"Amatsu said those who do not have a doubles partner prior with be assigned one. You will find out during orientation," Tezuka told him.

Ryoma was conflicted. He _really_ had an urge to go, but _doubles_? Doubles was going to be the death of him. Hell might as well freeze over.

"Has everyone decided?" Inui asked. "Tezuka needs to contact Kurosaki-chan to inform her."

"Yes!" everyone chorused, keen about the idea. Ryoma said nothing, only thinking about his choices.

This meeting was _definitely_ better than the others.

* * *

><p>During the car ride, Amatsu needed a good starter conversation. She needed a chance to build openings for her to get Sakuno interested and involved.<p>

"Saku-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Out of all the Seigaku regulars, who do you like the best?"

Sakuno unconsciously flushed a lovely shade of light pink. "R-Ryoma-kun."

That didn't make Amatsu feel any better. Sick or not, her head boiled with distaste for the Samurai Junior. Thoughts of Sakuno and Ryoma being together didn't sit with her.

"Saku-chan, have you've been...hanging out with Echizen lately?" Amatsu ventured carefully.

Sakuno blinked. "Eh? Sort of. We sometimes walk home together or see each other in town."

Lucky gaki. He eats Sakuno's bentos _and_ sees her outside of school. Amatsu had a hard time doing extracurricular activities when she had to work piled on top of training and tennis like a snow-capped mountain. Yes, Amatsu worked.

Amatsu went on with her questions. "Have you ever played doubles with him?"

Sakuno shook her head. "But I know many of his moves and techniques. Since you made me train with the regulars lately, I can see how he reacts with certain situations."

Amatsu had to smile. As clumsy as she was, Sakuno had the right kind of intuition and perspective. Her vision was great, too. Maybe she could enhance her strong assets and combined them. That would take mighty amounts of training, though. Who cared? They had enough time.

"Maybe you should do private training sessions with me," Amatsu proposed.

Sakuno beamed. "That would be great!" _And maybe I could keep up with Ryoma-kun so he won't get concerned. He always says 'Mada mada dane'._

"Ryoma-kun would teach me and Tomo-chan, too," Sakuno said unwittingly. "He would always tell me to bend my knees, and show me how to hold my racket because my grip is wrong."

A vein pulsed. Amatsu gritted her teeth. "Houtoni?"

Damn that Echizen.

* * *

><p>"Achoo!"<p>

"Bless you."

"Geez, Echizen. Are you sure you're not sick?"

"Hn."

* * *

><p>Sakuno was thrilled at the surrounding greenery. The woods and flowers were blooming and lively. The dirt road was dusted and the mansion large and antique. When the Kurosaki manor came closer into view, Sakuno gasped at the detail and structure. "Sugoi! It's so pretty!"<p>

Amatsu chuckled. "Arigato. This house belongs to my ancestors. My family would only visit before we permanently moved here."

Amatsu and Sakuno got out of the sedan. Hisagi helped carry the bags. He would have to drive to car around to the garage later. They rounded up the stoops and onto the porch-like front.

"Where did you live before?" Sakuno asked.

"Since I lived in dorms at the Academy, I didn't exactly live with my family, but we lived in many places," Amatsu said, secretly hoping Sakuno would take a hint. Boy, this girl was so dense. "I lived in New York and California when I was younger. I would visit London, as well. And then my family stayed at our hometown of Karakura. That's where I was born."

The door was opened by a cheerful and kind Hinamori. She wore a simple floral kimono as usual. Hisagi dropped the bags inside at the leveled floor and exited the threshold to park the car. Amatsu and Sakuno shrugged inside. They discarded their shoes for loafers.

"Okairi, Amatsu-chan!" Hinamori enthused. She looked at the tentative Sakuno. "You must be our guest!"

"Hai," Sakuno said softly. "I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno desu." She bowed. "Please take care of me."

"Of course! I'm Hinamori Momo," Hinamori agreed. A lightbulb lit on. "Oh! Amatsu-chan, your mother is home from work. She has a break for some time. She's upstairs in her room."

Amatsu raised a brow. "What about tou-san?"

"He'll be back on Monday," Hinamori assured the girl.

Amatsu sighed gloomily. Her tou-san was still working. On and off frequently.

Hinamori helped carry Sakuno's bag of her overnight stuff much to the girl's protest.

"Do you want to bunk with me or sleep in a guest room?" Amatsu asked the braided auburn-haired. The took the west hallway of the house (west because it faced the west). On either side of them were walls. The wall on their right had old-fashioned screens.

"I-I don't want to be a bother..." Sakuno said timidly.

Amatsu grinned. "Then you'll be in my room!"

Along the way, Amatsu explained the manor's interior to her friend so she wouldn't get lost. "The center of the manor is a courtyard so the manor is built as a perimeter. This is the west wing, where most decorative rooms are. Bedrooms are upstairs. The kitchens are near the front of the east wing. The south-side hold our recreational rooms like the dancing studio or dojo. Staircases are at the corners." She winked at the auburn. "We have a tennis court in the back behind the dojo."

So they walked all the way to the back southwest corner to trudge up the stairs. The extra exercise built more stress to Amatsu but she hid it endearingly. Pain could be handled. Sleep could wait. The staircase turned once so they were facing north in the upstairs west wing hallway.

Amatsu accounted the rooms. "Hikaru's...Tatsuya's...Katen's...and here's mine." They stopped at Amatsu's door. Hinamori handed Sakuno's her bag and bowed.

"Dinner will be at six-thirty," she said. "I'll find a foldable futon. See you later!" Hinamori scampered off, loose strands of brown hair bouncing from her bun. Sakuno favored the young women already.

Amatsu pushed her door aside and walked in. Sakuno drank in her surroundings.

Amatsu's room was proportional and symmetrical like everything in the manor was. It was squared- shape and cozy, yet, open-spaced. Across from the door was a veranda set of doors decorated with undone drapes. The back left corner had a armchair tossed upon with a coat. The back right corner had a snug desk with a laptop and some office supplies. The wall alongside with the entrance was pressed upon with dressers and wardrobes and a shoji screen to change behind. Left wall was the neatly made platform futon longways flanked by the nightstand. At the end of the futon was a bulky trunk. Right wall had shelves cramped with volumes and the door to the bathroom.

What Sakuno loved the most were the pictures and artistic works Amatsu hung on the wall or framed to place on a available niche. Amatsu had told her she was artistic, and she was. Sakuno could see the flare Amatsu made to her room. Like the vases of flowers on her desk and nightstand, or the carpet, or even the blue and gold trim of the walls that didn't over balance the tranquil atmosphere. This wasn't like anything Sakuno could dredge up. It was a balanced clash of modern, young, and traditional Japanese.

Amatsu was smiling at Sakuno's impressed expression. "I guess I could work as an interior decorator."

"You bet!" Sakuno gushed.

Sakuno settled her schoolbag and extra bag on the floor next to the bed. She pushed aside the veranda door curiously and was greeted by the great view of the outdoors. Fresh air poured in the room.

"Ah." Sakuno absorbed the touched of nature, satisfied. Amatsu watched with a faint smile. Actually, she sat on her bed. She was exhausted.

"You can look around if you want, Saku-chan," Amatsu said leniently.

Sakuno beamed. First she crossed to the bookshelves and peered at them. She was surprised at the different mixes of languages they read. Many were American volumes and series. Others were cookbooks and such. Sakuno turned around to see the trunk.

"What's in there?" she asked, coming closer.

"My art supplies, electronic games, board games...junk," Amatsu amended.

Sakuno hatched it opened and peered inside. It was really big and stocked with what Amatsu said. Sakuno shuffle through the stuff. She came across a shoebox tucked under the boxes of board games. "Eh?"

Amatsu reacted to the shoebox. "Oh! You've been in my room for ten minutes and you've already found my secret stash!"

"Stash of what?" Sakuno inquired. She opened the shoebox to see it filled with scores of candy and chocolates. Amatsu looked sheepish.

"What? Katen makes me eat healthy. And Kira-kun always buys me candy when he's out," Amatsu defended herself. She held her index finger to her lips. "Let's keep it a secret from him, 'kay?"

Sakuno giggled. Amatsu was so childish when she wanted to be.

Hinamori came by to drop of the extra futon for Sakuno. She reminded them to finishe any homework. Amatsu felt too tired and hot to give Sakuno a tour of the manor. She found a fan to coolly wave it at herself. Sakuno noticed.

"Amatsu-chan?" She sat on the bed, and touched her friend's forehead. It burned like a stove. "Amatsu-chan! You're getting hotter!"

"Tell me something I don't know," muttered Amatsu dryly. "Do you mind going outside and calling for Momo-chan? Just go to the railing." Amatsu felt her eyelids droop.

Sakuno ran out the room and found the door to go past the outer wall and to the overhanging. "Hinamori-san! Amatsu caught a fever!" She clung to the railing, seeing the expanse of the beautiful and tended courtyard. But she was too worried to appreciate it.

A women in casual clothing was milling amongst the courtyard in hearing range. She was beautiful and graceful as Amatsu and almost an exact copy. She looked up. "Amatsu is sick?" she called.

Sakuno noticed the women and nearly gawked in surprise. She was the famous original dancer, Kuchiki Rukia. Also known as Amatsu's okaa-san.

"Amatsu-chan has a fever!" Sakuno exclaimed. Rukia nodded, pursing her lips.

"Go in the bathroom to fix Amatsu a compress," she instructed the girl. "I'll find Momo." And Sakuno stumbled off to heed the lady of the house.

_What a troublesome child,_ Rukia chided as she searched for her housemaid.

* * *

><p>Hanging about in the lively courtyard, Sakuno was with Katen, Tatsuya, and Hikaru (they had returned home some forty minutes ago). Amatsu was scolded over and over again to rest and sleep. Amatsu only went to sleep unless Sakuno promised they'd talk later. Sakuno calmed the girl and promised. Amatsu drifted to sleep under the security of her blankets. Hinamori tended to the sick child.<p>

Katen introduced Sakuno to Hikaru - Amatsu's other brother. He was very polite and friendly, so Sakuno didn't feel uncomfortable. Katen also introduced Amatsu's dogs to Sakuno and they loved her immediately due to her sweet, caring nature. The dogs - Senshi, Taji, and Kuroyuki - vied for attention. Little Tatsuya laughed and would distract them. He just loved animals.

Hikaru was playing with his pet turtle (a red ear slider turtle), Chitose, watching him trudged about in the pond. Katen monitored his brothers and kept company to the auburn.

"How did Amatsu-chan get sick?" Sakuno asked the bronze-haired male.

Katen thought back. "When it was raining earlier this week, she had no umbrella or coat. Eni told me she was in the rain for too long even though she wouldn't admit it." Katen sighed. "It's because she wanted me to share an umbrella with Talim."

Sakuno recalled Amatsu snickering about Katen and Talim being under an umbrella and understood.

"Amatsu-sama also likes to sneak out in the rain," Katen added dryly. "She likes standing in it."

Sakuno examined some creatively colorful flowers but her mind always went to Amatsu and how high- strung she was with wanting to speak with Sakuno. She would seem so expected and was answering questions off the bat unhesitatingly.

_I'll find out tomorrow,_ she decided. _Right now, Amatsu-chan needs to recover._

* * *

><p>Amatsu heard the buzz of her phone. Blindly, she reached from under the comfort of her blankets to her nightstand and grabbed it. Blearily opening one eye, she flipped it open to read the message.<p>

_**Are you signing in the video chat later?**_

Amatsu quickly texted a message back.

_**Maybe tomorrow night. I have a fever right now, Paula.**_

Amatsu was roused from her brief nap with a demanding vibration.

_**OMG! Get healthy soon, Amatsu! Hope your plans or whatever Alex said works.**_

Amatsu chuckled slightly and put away her cell phone. Her okaa-san would kill her if she was caught red-handed when she was supposed to be resting.

Tomorrow would be an interesting day.

* * *

><p><strong>This was one long and complicating chapter. I hope I didn't mess up too bad. I'm very tired right now and have to start drafting a chapter for Another Road. Sorry for the lack of Bleach characters but I promise they will be more involved soon. Please review to make me feel more loved. I might have an upcoming headache. Eep. I'm just like Amatsu. (Revised 21/12)  
><strong>


	11. Chapter 10: Sick Day

**Disclaimer: You can't steal awesome stories, because people with lots of money will sue you. Pay attention in school, kids! Now! This is the next segment of AoT. Hope you will R&R. I will be inspired to write more if I have some responses, ne? I own OC's and plot. This is a sort of a triple crossover of Prince of Tennis, Bleach, and Mario Tennis Power Tour. So sorry for the tediously long update. I was distracted by homework, tests, upcoming exams, course selections, an art competition (v.a.s.e.), and a stupid cold.**

Chapter 10

Sick Day

Sakuno was never lonely at the Kurosaki manor. More confused and anxious, but never bored.

Today was early Sunday morning. Sakuno was invited over for an enjoyable bonding experience with Amatsu - a new best friend since the term started - at her own home. But, earlier in the week, Amatsu had been careless and reckless in the unrelenting rain and caught a fever. The additional neglect to rest and care for herself, Katen would point out, made Amatsu terribly bedridden. Now Amatsu was stuck in bed, not able to be a good hostess and friend to the auburn in her own home. Rukia, Amatsu's elegant and discreetly famous mother, asked her sons to fill in being hosts for Amatsu's sake. Sakuno protested at first, saying she could go home and the sleepover could be re-planned for another date, but the news got to Amatsu, and she threw a heated fit. Sakuno had never seen Amatsu so inert and weak before, her words were breathy. She stayed, not wanting Amatsu to exert herself and lapse into a longer sickness.

Right now was approximately ten minutes after eight in the morning. Sakuno had awoken from a guest room - since she couldn't stay with Amatsu when being sick - and cleaned up for the day. She was greeted by Katen - Amatsu's bronze-haired adoptive brother - in the hallway who was waking up his younger brothers. The black-haired Hikaru and sunset-haired Tatsuya. Amatsu was right about something, her younger brothers were adorable and brought a steady light to accent the day.

They four of them, Sakuno, Katen, Hikaru, and Tatsuya, were in the western-styled kitchen for breakfast. Katen and Sakuno cooked, Hikaru helped set the table with silverware and glasses of orange juice, and Tatsuya just talked and daydreamed (much like Amatsu). Sakuno marveled over how great a chef Katen was. He told her that he had to adapt into taking care for others, since one, Amatsu was very picky, and two, he felt like he needed to. Sakuno was in his shoes and sympathized, especially with someone as stubborn as Amatsu for a problem.

The youngsters sat as Japanese-cooked food were passed out with bowls of white rice.

"Ne, Katen-nii?" The bronze glanced up to the youngest Kurosaki with his mussed sunset locks. "Is Onee-sama gonna get better?"

Katen nodded reassuringly. "She's strong. She'll be fine soon."

Kindhearted Hikaru patted his brother's short, soft tufts of hair. "Amatsu-nee won't let a fever slow her down. She'll be playing tennis in no time."

Katen raised a speculative brow at his brother's explanation. Sakuno only smiled at the display of sibling affection.

Eating for a while, Rukia and Hinamori walked in. Immediately, Katen and Hikaru chorused, "Ohaiyo!"

Quite causally beautiful, Rukia wore a simple baby-blue one-piece dress that reached her knees with a white laced hem and tan slip-ons. Rukia's violet orbs were bold and ripe in comparison to Amatsu's sapphire gems. If she looked that natural and dazzling in a dress, Sakuno could imagine Amatsu could be, too.

Rukia edged around the table to come by and pat Tatsuya's head, smiling gently at the bright scene. "Having a healthy breakfast?"

Katen scoffed. Tatsuya chimed, "Hai!" He hugged his kaa-san's slender waist. Their eyes were the same hues.

Humming to herself, Hinamori was situated in the kitchen, gathering a decent meal and arranging it on a tray.

Rukia addressed the braided auburn, "I hope Amatsu's delay isn't bothering you."

Sakuno flushed at the sincerity Rukia had, and waved her hands reassuringly. "Iie! I'm having a wonderful time! Your family is very hospitable!"

The women's smile was pretty with the shape and curve of her pale lips, much like her daughter's. "Arigato." A slight frown. "Though, Amatsu's being troublesome. She wants to talk to you."

A crease furrowed Sakuno's forehead. "Houtoni? Is she getting better?"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Worse, I say."

As Hinamori passed by the table with the tray of food, she added, "She's becomes a picky child when she's sick. Last time she was delusional." The lady giggled and walked out of the dining area.

Sighing, Katen stood up to put away his finished plates and start washing dishes. Taking a minute to herself, Sakuno noticed Rukia still standing by her sons' chairs (both boys were conversing to each other), staring at her interestedly. Violet orbs shining and glinting.

"Ojou-san?" she wondered cluelessly.

Rukia gave the girl a wary grin. "You sure are a influence on Amatsu. She's been hectic the past week - or so Katen tells me. I'm glad she has a friend like you."

Sakuno blushed a modest pink. "A-Arigato! Amatsu-chan been a help to me, too! She encourages me in tennis and showed me some recipes and...ano..."

"I understand," said Rukia, and she really did understand. _Amatsu must tolerate this girl to call her 'Amatsu-chan'._ Not anyone did that and got away without a black eye or a stomped foot. Rukia bide her sons to eat some more and left the kitchen.

Lately, Sakuno couldn't help but wonder what Amatsu's been begging for her attention for.

* * *

><p>It was so hot, yet her body shivered with cold. There was a mass of layered weight on top of her and enveloped her form, tucked into a cocoon. She felt a breeze now and then coming from her left. There wasn't much light, not fluorescent at least, but warm and gentle. The sun. It was morning. Someone had left the doors of her veranda slightly ajar, the drapes pulled back. The smell of nature reminded Amatsu what was outside than her little prison. Outside smelled of misty humidity and wet grass. Under that was the aroma of gardens and fresh air. It had been raining lately...<p>

Rain. The stupid reason Amatsu was ill but she loved rain. It reminded her was washing away troubles and doubt. It made her think of the days when is rained at the Academy. In her cozy little dorm, she would be sitting at her window loft, legs tucked up, staring out the tear-streaked window, wishing it would stop, but it was different than other days. Everyone would get a break from training. Although they had indoor tennis courts, the majority of the students would hang out to mingle and converse about their skills and such. They would socialize and have a fun time with freedom. Amatsu wouldn't do that. She relaxed alone in her quiet dorm, drawing or listening to music. But her doubles partner would insist being with company. He would drag her to play multiplayer games with their other friends and or they would be together, talking, teasing, being silly. Ace...

Amatsu could almost hear him lightly scolding her at her bedside. _You dope! You forgot to bring an umbrella, didn't you?_ or _At least I can take care of you like you do to me._ That's what they did, always making sure they were even in debt. Being helpful and staying together...she missed his snarky remarks and handsome grin.

She heard her door of her bedroom slide open. _Kasha_. And then the taps of footsteps. Hinamori.

"I brought you some food, Amatsu-chan!" the bun-haired woman chirped brightly.

Amatsu groaned groggily because of her weak body and aching head. "Ugh," she mumbled, "What time is it?"

"A quarter before nine in the morning," supplied the chipper woman. Hinamori placed the tray of food on the nightstand so she could help Amatsu sit up. The girl was so tired and listless. Gravity forced her down. Her body was light and useless enough to float up. Hinamori replaced the already warm compress aside.

"I hate mornings," grumbled Amatsu, slouching in her propped pillows. Her midnight hair was askew, not brushed properly. Her neck was radiating heat and assaulted by cool air. She shivered again. "Noon is better..."

Hinamori laughed at the sapphire-eyed girl's blunt rantings. She knelt on the floor at Amatsu's bedside. "If you hate mornings, then you can't eat breakfast!"

"You can eat breakfast anytime you want," Amatsu muttered, her sapphire eyes not focused. "It's the most important meal of the day. Who cares about lunch? Where's Sakuno?"

Hinamori had a lot in her hands.

* * *

><p>After a fulfilling breakfast, Katen toured Sakuno the east wing of the manor - Hikaru and Tatsuya tagging along. The first set were the recreational rooms. First stop was the music room.<p>

Like the other rooms, the music was was squared-shaped, the back wall had the windows. The floor was carpeted and the walls simple and painted soft color of lavender. Sophisticated and gentle.

The room was filled with many instruments in black cases. But the instrument that wasn't in a case was the black ebony piano near the back wall, all majestic and sleek.

"Sugoi! So Amatsu-chan _does_ play music!" Sakuno exclaimed.

Hikaru walked over to the piano, opened it, and pressed some keys. Such a ethereal sound. Sakuno listened, intrigued. Only if she could hear a real piece.

Katen smiled. _He should do that more often,_ thought the auburn. _He usually only does that around his family and Talim-chan._

Another room hoarded pictures and artworks from wall to wall, ceiling to floor. Sakuno gaped. Color and detail everywhere. Everywhere! You could barely see the walls! Many art pieces were paintings and drawings - maybe even sketches - all framed and hung on the wall or the makeshift walls that made the room like a maze or an authentic art gallery. Sakuno could see portraits and sceneries that she had never seen before.

One acrylic painting caught her eye. It was a twirling Rukia, dressed as a traditional Japanese dancer. The painting captured her mid-spin, you could see half of her face, eyes closed, arms spread out wide, her susohiki sleeves billowing like the direction of the wind, her flying hair halted in movement, her obi ribbons like a wisps of air. The background was just mixed values of white, blue, lavender, and gray like there was no background. All focused on the main article.

"A-Amatsu-chan painted this?" Sakuno uttered incredulously as she read the proud bronze plaque.

"Two years ago," affirmed Katen, by her side, one hand in his pocket.

Hikaru and Tatsuya laughed. "Amatsu-nee likes painting, but she says taking pictures captures reality better!" Hikaru enthused. He crossed to one wall and pointed at a framed photograph. "This one kaa-san took. Amatsu-nee _loves_ it."

Curious, Sakuno went to the picture. She saw an eight-year-old Amatsu, still angelic and slender in form, but shorter in height, not so dazed looking, but bright, her bold eyes brillant. Amatsu's black hair was long - someone had tied it into two low twin pigtails. Amatsu was with two other children - both familiar. A grinning Talim, her teal hair a short ruffled mess, skin just like satin. A helpless Katen, barely suppressing into his laughter, trying to get free from the person giving a bear hug to all three children. A tall, thin, but muscular man with short-trimmed sun orange hair, almost like it was bleached. Amatsu's otou-san, Ichigo.

Sakuno thought it was so cute and lively! Seeing three proud and mighty people in this present so childish and carefree in the past. Heck, Amatsu was wearing a sundress! Katen's bronze hair was an upward mess!

Rubbing the back of his head, Katen was blushing. Tatsuya was laughing at his nii-chan.

Hikaru saw his onii-chan's discomfort. He grinned inwardly. "Let's head outside! It's not raining anymore, so the gardens are all healthy!"

Sakuno, Hikaru, and Tatsuya played with Amatsu's three dogs. In the morning, they were hyper for exercise and selfish play. The azure sky above was filled with funny-shaped clouds. The greens were flourished. Fingering some flower bushes, Sakuno mused what to do. She really wanted to check on Amatsu.

Katen peered over her shoulder, easy since he was considerably taller. "Do you want to trim some flowers for Amatsu? She changes the vase in her room everyday."

Sakuno brightened by the idea. "Houtoni? What kind of flowers does she like?"

"She likes all kinds. But she usually makes a fancy bouquet out of it," he said. "Yesterday she had tulips."

While the younger boys were horsing around, Katen advised Sakuno how to pick certain flowers and to mingle, trim, and arrange them so it looked like a floral masterpiece. Izuru had come by to hand them some garden scissors and a stretch of ribbon and card requested timidly of the auburn. The makeshift bouquet was filled with pink, purple, and yellow flowers such as lilies, hydrangeas, gerbera daises, and curly willows. It was cute and simple. Esteemed by her marvelous work, Sakuno eagerly ran up to Amatsu's room, leaving the Kurosaki brothers in the courtyard.

Pausing outside the door, Sakuno knocked. No one answered. She poked her head in. No Hinamori, just an deserted armchair. On the futon, she saw the heap of blankets and the crown of Amatsu's head sticking from under her covers. She smiled. Amatsu was still sleeping, meaning she would get better sometime soon.

Sakuno was careful to tred softly and quickly to cross to Amatsu's desk. She switched yesterday's flowers with her own little gift. She flitted with the flowers, making sure they were tilting the correct way.

"Urgh," Amatsu grumbled lowly and turned in her sleep. Blinking, Sakuno turned around and stepped towards Amatsu's prone form.

"Amatsu-chan?" she implored in a whisper.

Amatsu's eyes blinked open blearily, lashes fluttering. She made a disgruntled face and mumbled incoherently again.

Like she was caught by the police, Sakuno held up her hands startledly when Amatsu began to sit up, slowly and abruptly like a zombie. Her lips were slightly parted, eyes drooped, arms out uselessly.

"Amatsu-chan! You shouldn't be getting up!" Sakuno protested, trying to push the sick girl back into bed. Amatsu shook her head once and hopped onto her bare feet. She walked like a robot - well, not exactly. Her body was slouched, arms at sides, but she didn't stumble in her steps, pacing normally. Sakuno almost laughed when Amatsu bumped straight into the door then reached dazedly for the handle to push it aside. She stepped out and Sakuno ran after her worriedly.

"Amatsu-chan!" called Sakuno as Amatsu stumbled down the stairs, bumping into a wall or two like she forgot to know how to turn. Pushing the screen aside, she ambled past the outer wall and her foot caught onto the floor lip. Sakuno gasped and ran forward but was too late. Amatsu fell face-first into the grassy lawn with an audible thump.

"Um..." Amatsu mumbled and picked up her head tiredly. Disoriented, she blinked. By then, Katen and Hikaru hurried over to see the commotion. They had left Tatsuya with the dogs on the other end of the courtyard. Katen rushed to help Amatsu up onto her feet. She leaned into him like she couldn't function her body.

Hikaru was shaking his head, hand on his black-haired head. "Oh no. Not again."

"What do you mean?" Sakuno asked the younger boy as she stood by.

"Amatsu-nee usually starts wandering when she's sick. She just won't stop until she finds what she wants," Hikaru explained, subdued.

"What does she want?" Sakuno wanted to know. She darted concerned glances at the drowsy girl, maybe even unconscious if anything went bad. Katen had Amatsu's arm over his shoulder and his arm around her waist, supporting her weight. Her head lolled on his unwavering shoulder. Under her lids, her eyes fluttered, conscious.

Hikaru pursed his thin lips, considering. "It changes from time to time. Usually it's someone on her mind. One time it was me...then Tatsuya...and kaa-san..."

"Where's your okaa-san?" Sakuno asked, scanning the perimeter beseechingly.

"She was on the phone," put in Katen. He sighed, jade eyes troubled. "I should carry Amatsu-sama back to her room..."

"Momo-san is in the kitchen, cleaning," Hikaru said. "We need to watch over her."

Amatsu began shifting as if their words filtered into her brain to make her move again. Pushing Katen away with her body, Amatsu glided into the gardens. The floral scents distracted her for a second then she pursued on. Sakuno, Katen, and Hikaru ran, on her tail, to make sure nothing went mishap.

"Onee-sama?" called Tatsuya as he saw his sister's form lounging about in the field of flowers. The dogs barked and ran towards their master. Even the noisy presence of her dogs didn't stir Amatsu awake. A crease knitted between her brows, lips forming a frown, strange since the rest of her face was slack. She turned her heel into a sharp pivot and headed towards the east wing.

"Ah!" everyone uttered when Amatsu got into the leveled platform and bumped, yet again, into a column. By then she must have had a pink bruise in the middle of her forehead, but she was known to have a head as hard as a rock. "Mmm..." She stood there, doing nothing, not even reacting, and angled herself away to slip into the inner hallway through the passable Japanese slider screens.

"Hikaru, watch Tatsuya," Katen ordered the younger boy, and he and Sakuno went to follow Amatsu inside. They frantically checked the hallway both ways. No Amatsu. They headed down the north direction, near the front of the manor. They entered the smaller north hallway, they found a surprise.

Rukia was cradling Amatsu in her lap, supposedly the girl had fallen to her knees. The older woman was over her in mild shock and held her daughter tenderly. She was on her knees as well, back against the supporting wall. She ran her fingers through Amatsu's glossy midnight hair as dark as her own. Amatsu hummed lowly in her sleep, her upper body curled in Rukia's lap, clinging to her mother's shirt.

Both Katen and Sakuno approached with light steps, smiling softly. Sakuno thought Amatsu was getting more childlike and more adorable as she blindly acted. Being sick had it's quirks.

Rukia whispered, "She's sleepwalking again. I should have guessed."

"Who were you talking to on the phone?" Katen asked, looming adjacent over the mother and daughter.

"Ichi-" Rukia was cut short when Amatsu lifted her heavy shoulders and shook her head, midnight strands flying. When was she going to stop? Amatsu glided down the hallway. Rukia only stood up, not pursuing as Sakuno and Katen did exasperatedly. Amatsu was by the entrance by now. Katen was confused by the sound of the front doors opening and footfall thuds of shoes. Sakuno and Katen quickened their pace and rounded the corner...

"Nice to know she doesn't hate me - at least not entirely," said the orange-haired man. Sakuno felt her mouth hang. That was the man in the picture! Amatsu's otou-san!

Like with the incident with her mother, Amatsu had suddenly brought her and her father to their knees, she was half-cradled on his lap, her slim arms hugging her father's waist, head pillowed on his strong flat chest. She looked like a wayward child in their sleep, hair strewn messily on her slack face, a tiny, pleasant smile graced on her parted lips. So cute! If Sakuno had a right mind, like Talim or Eni, she would've take pictures for blackmail, but she was the angel here.

Rukia caught up, she leaned into the corridor wall, bemused. "Okairi, Ichigo."

"Ichigo-sama!" exclaimed Katen, jade eyes wide. "You're home early!"

Ichigo cracked a grin. "Yeah...I heard Amatsu was sick and I got worried, especially since she barely gets any sleep..." He shrugged, being careful not to jostle Amatsu. She was accomplished in her sleepwalking, now resting fully. "I left all the work to Ishida and Chad." True to his word, a duffelbag and backpack laid on the floor by his side. He finally took notice of Sakuno. "Oh, uh...You must be Amatsu's friend."

Modestly flushing, Sakuno nodded. "Hai. I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno desu. Thank you for allowing me in your home." She bowed.

Ichigo was civil, his lips twitching a amused smile. "I better carry Amatsu to her room."

"Oh, _please_," Katen huffed.

Effortlessly and gently, Ichigo picked up his sleeping daughter bridal style and stood up, towering over everyone. Hisagi came in through the front doors (he was the one who picked up Ichigo from the airport), mildly shock, blinking at the scene then shrugged it off. He lugged Ichigo's bags upstairs. Everyone dispersed. Rukia to get Hinamori. Sakuno and Katen following Ichigo to Amatsu's bedroom.

Ichigo laid Amatsu on her futon, she clung to him, frowning when he coaxed her to stay still. Katen helped tuck her in. Amatsu breathing was steady and soft, she was peaceful again.

Sakuno decided she would move the vase of her bouquet to Amatsu's nightstand so she could see it first thing when she woke up.

"Sleep tight, kid," whispered Ichigo, brushing his daughter's bangs from her dozing face. She sighed in response. With all that fussing around, Ichigo, Katen, and Sakuno left Amatsu's room quietly. Katen closed the door behind him.

"Whew! Ichisuke's sure a hassle!" said Ichigo. The three of them walked down the hallway, heading for the stairs.

"Did you really leave work early, Ichigo-sama?" Katen asked, deadpanned. Sakuno listened, intrigued.

Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly. "Chad and Ishida understood. They told me I could take a small break."

"What should we do now?" asked Katen aloud. "I left Hikaru and Tatsuya in the garden."

Ichigo glanced between his adoptive son and the young auburn, thoughtfully contemplating. He mused, "Hmm...I got an idea."

* * *

><p>Sakuno never knew Hikaru and Tatsuya could play tennis. They weren't spectacular, still immature. Hikaru was no beginner unlike Tatsuya. Sakuno wondered why he didn't try out for the junior tennis team.<p>

Ichigo had asked if anyone was up for some tennis and Katen and Sakuno didn't hesitate to answer. It was a good day for some outdoor exercise. They rallied Hikaru and Tatsuya and some equipment, then headed through the back dojo which lead straight to the tennis court like Amatsu had said. The tennis court was made of clay and it seemed it was used alot. The scenery past the tennis was like modern bordering nature. All Sakuno saw were clumps of trees, an endless lawn of lush green grass dotted with wild flowers, and somewhere a little farther in the distance, a clear lake.

Sakuno and Ichigo relaxed on the porch-like platform that was the perimeter of the manor. Their legs dangled from the edge (Ichigo's feet touched the ground). Bits of items littered around them, towels, water bottles, tennis balls, and sports bags. It was easier then she had previously thought, Sakuno admitted, to be in the company of Amatsu's family without Amatsu herself as support.

Currently, Hikaru and Tatsuya were teamed up against Katen. The teen was taking it easy on the boys. Tatsuya would laugh whenever someone did a mistake or missed a ball - which meant laughing at himself most of the time sheepishly. Hikaru was a free-spirited player, always having on a small smile, yet his determined eyes never strayed or lost focus. Hikaru was using a pure white racket and Tatsuya a deep black number. Katen gave helpful pointers to the youngsters as they played.

"Did you use to play tennis?" Sakuno carefully asked the older man.

Ichigo's lips tipped into a thoughtful smile. "Yeah. I was raised in a world of tennis before I knew it myself. I used to stick with karate and soccer. Then I met Rukia, and I found a better challenge. Almost everyone I know played tennis when we were younger."

_He's kind of like Ryoma-kun,_ thought Sakuno, seeing how they treated tennis like one world and one passion.

"Did you teach Amatsu how to play tennis?" Sakuno asked while she watched Hikaru serve. It wasn't bad.

Ichigo nodded even though she wasn't looking. "Not exactly, but yeah. She's multifaceted. I guess, inside, she just can't sit still - that she _has_ to prove something." Ichigo grunted. "Especially since Byakuya keeps pressuring her."

"Who? Oh." Sakuno remembered abruptly. If Amatsu's okaa-san was formally known as Kuchiki Rukia, her oji-san had to be Kuchiki Byakuya. Kuchiki Byakuya of _Kuchiki Corporations_.

Ichigo was disgruntled. "Byakuya wants Amatsu to become his successor, but Amatsu had different plans. She wanted to do all kinds of stuff - a singer, a painter, a model - but Byakuya needed her to be in an office twenty-four-seven." His strong voice became lower, sadder. "Amatsu loved tennis. Byakuya convinced her she wasn't good enough to handle being a professional player. So after a small incident, she realized what her uncle meant and forced herself to quit tennis."

Sakuno gasped. She looked at the older man, eyes wide. "She _quit_?"

Ichigo's jaw clenched. "I got mad, too. My Ichisuke _never_ quits. For a couple of years, Amatsu worked and learned under Byakuya's instruction. It was like she was _his_ daughter instead of _mine_. So the year before, I sent Amatsu to the Academy. It was hard with Byakuya disagreeing, but he gave in because of the high education there." Ichigo's amber eyes softened. "Amatsu was really happy there, but Byakuya saw how she was high-strung with tennis again and forced her to transfer schools."

"You're..." Sakuno tried to explain how she thought. "...a good father."

Slightly, Ichigo grinned. "I know."

On the court, Katen returned a slice. Tatsuya - who was near the net - instinctively ducked, and the ball sailed over where his head was, straight to Hikaru. Hikaru gave a strong return. Katen let it pass. He nodded approvingly. Ichigo and Sakuno laughed aloud.

"Good job!" Ichigo called out. His sons beamed at him and high-fived each other.

* * *

><p>Amatsu's awareness finally submerged into consciousness. Gaze flitting around, she was in her room again, tucked in her bed. Where was that warmth she felt? How long has it been? The compress on her forehead was warm, it needed to be changed soon. No one was around.<p>

When she turned her head to see the time on the alarm clock, she caught sight of the newly arranged bouquet on her nightstand. It reminded her of daintiness and sweet charm, and immediately linked it to Sakuno's taste.

_Arigato, Saku-chan. Gomen. I'm so useless._ She closed her eyes and fell back into a fitful oblivion.

Soon, she would be able to explain everything.

* * *

><p>Lunch was served. It was an array of sandwiches, cut fruit, and lemonade. The children had permission to have a small picnic outside in the grassy lawns near the tennis court. Katen helped spread out a picnic blanket over then lawn and Sakuno and Hikaru passed out the sandwiches and fruit. Tatsuya even brought his little pet bunny to join them. He fed it bits of lettuce. Sakuno felt part of a little fantasy.<p>

Early afternoon, the sun was evaporating the humidity. Katen and Hikaru were the only ones playing tennis now. Ichigo retired inside. Tatsuya sat with Sakuno alongside with his bunny. They watched.

"Amatsu-nee doesn't play fun tennis anymore," mumbled the little boy. He looked woeful.

Sakuno glanced down at Tatsuya in puzzlement. "What do you mean?" she asked softly.

Tatsuya didn't meet the auburn's gaze, only petting his bunny's head gently. "Like Hikaru-nii, she taught him, but she doesn't play tennis for fun. She's too serious."

Sakuno examined Hikaru's style. Like she deducted before, he was free-spirited while being tactical. His movements were based on reflexes and impulses. That absent smile...

"Souka," whispered Sakuno. She would have to get details from Amatsu. That is, if she ever was lucid.

The glorious sun was happy to shine after days hiding behind ugly thick clouds. It was probably two in the afternoon.

Sakuno and Tatsuya turned their heads when they heard the dojo door slide open. Ichigo stepped out, dressed athletically. Katen and Hikaru - both had stopped for a water break - raised curious brows.

Ichigo held up his black, orange-streaked racket, the handle wrapped in white bandages. He addressed Katen. "Care for a game, kid?"

Unlike him, Katen grinned handsomely. He nodded acceptingly. "Sure you don't need a warm-up?"

"Don't get cocky, kid." Ichigo stroded towards the court.

Sakuno was open-mouthed the entire time.

* * *

><p>Two-thirty in the afternoon. Almost a whole day since Amatsu rested. She felt better already. Her body wasn't shivering from the unbalance of temperature and her fever had broken. Hinamori had last checked on her after she had finished lunch.<p>

Feeling able to, Amatsu sat up and peeled off the compress, setting it on the nightstand. She reached out to grasp her cell phone and opened it. She had a bunch of messages. She skimmed through them, murmuring, "Get well soon...Don't do anything rash...Amatsu, you're a baka - well _excuse me_ _Talim_ - blah blah blah..."

Hinamori entered, and brightened. "Amatsu-chan, you're awake!"

Amatsu smiled a bit. "Un, I'm better, Momo-chan," she comfirmed. "Where's Sakuno?"

"She's outside with your brothers," replied Hinamori. "I'll go get them. Here," she handed the girl a thermometer, "take your temperature. I'll be right back." The lady left the room.

Amatsu stuck the thermometer halfway in her mouth and pressed the green button, letting it calculate. She slumped back into her bed, waiting and thinking silently to herself. She decided to send a text message to her Academy friends.

_**I'm signing in the chat room at seven. My fever cooled down.**_

She set her cell phone aside on her nightstand and kept a leveled head. She was going to get a migraine if she kept stockpiling deeds one on top of another. She glanced over to her desk. In neat colored folders were forms and packets all mixed together. Amatsu probably had half of expected paperwork printed and copied. Then, of course, she had some files her _dear_ uncle wanted to look over. When was Bya-oji going to see she wanted nothing to do with Kuchiki Corps. when she was much older?

Amatsu heard footsteps echoing in the hallway. Many footsteps.

"Onee-sama!" cried Tatsuya happily and jumped on the futon to sit by Amatsu's hip. She patted his cheek. Hikaru smiled and chirped, "You seem better!"

Last to enter was Katen and Sakuno. Katen sat in the unoccupied armchair. Sakuno was by the bow of the futon bed gingerly. She smiled warily. Amatsu was glad she wasn't awkward in her own skin.

The thermometer beeped, signaling the temperature. Amatsu took it out of her mouth and read the tiny screen. She sighed, relieved. Just a degree over normal body temperature.

Amatsu noticed Katen was slightly flushed and a thin sheen of sweat clung to his forehead. "Eh? Katen, why are you sweating? Were you exercising?"

The disheveled bronze-haired was cautious of her for some reason. "Mm-hmm."

"We were just practicing tennis," informed Sakuno. Amatsu saw the daze in her round eyes. What had happened while she was out?

Amatsu furrowed her brow, her lips pouting. "O-kay?"

Tatsuya beamed brightly that Amatsu was distracted. "Amatsu-onee-sama! Did you know tou-san came home early?"

Amatsu gasped. "Nani? _Today_?"

"Tou-san was worried about you," explained Hikaru helpfully. "When you started sleepwalking again, you bumped into him just when he came home."

The recovered girl had a streak of salmon pink across her pale face. "O-Oh? I-I guess I'm a psychic or something." Sakuno wanted to laugh at Amatsu's rare attention needs that she tried unsuccessfully to hide.

"Amatsu-chan, you never told me your parents could play tennis!" Sakuno was saying.

Amatsu blinked. "I didn't, didn't I?"

"Un." Sakuno nodded, words spilling out of her mouth, not realizing Katen was beseechingly shaking his head and mouthing 'no'. "So when your otou-san beat Katen-kun at tennis, I was really shocked! He was amazing!"

The words echoed in Amatsu's mind like a neon sign flashing in her face. Everyone felt it. The frigidness and steam that was emanating from Amatsu. Her lips parted, eyes uncomprehending, stunned. Everyone braced themselves.

It happened.

"NANI! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE PLAYED TENNIS!" she roared, nearly jumping off the bed, and startling Tatsuya.

* * *

><p>"NANI! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE PLAYED TENNIS!" The sound resonated and drifted throughout the household.<p>

Ichigo glanced up from where he sat on the floorboards of the dojo. A miniscule smirk-like-frown painted his lips.

He was going to get an earful later. Kami save him.

* * *

><p>"I DEMAND A MATCH!" Amatsu was ranting, her sapphire eyes blazing and cheeks coloring. Hikaru, Katen, and Sakuno were trying to placate the angry girl. They didn't want her to relapse back into a fever. On each side of the girl, Katen and Sakuno held down Amatsu's shoulders. Hikaru waved for her attention urgently.<p>

"Amatsu-nee! Tou-san's tired! He only got back home today. Besides, you shouldn't be exerting yourself," the black-haired boy reasoned.

Amatsu clenched her teeth, obviously unsatisfied. She decided to glower at Katen. He sweatdropped and blanched. He should have known this would happen.

Slowly and finally, Amatsu managed to sit down, the tension in her body subsiding. Tatsuya climbed to sit in her lap, although he was getting too old for that. With his finger, he poked at his sister's frown.

"You should smile," he stated simply. It broke the ice.

Taking a calm breath, Amatsu worked for a small smile. Tatsuya brightened, violet orbs shining. Amatsu knew Tatsuya loved it when she smiled. The other three relaxed. Only Tatsuya could tame Amatsu.

_He really does have her wrapped around his finger,_ gushed Sakuno.

* * *

><p>After a quick dinner and returning to the bedroom, Amatsu was sitting on her knees on her futon, facing Sakuno who was situated in the armchair adjacent to the bed. They could talk at last (probably because Amatsu ceased her hunt for her tou-san considering he was avoiding her studiously).<p>

The sapphire-eyed girl began by bowing her head, forehead touching the bed covers. "Gomenasai, Sakuno. I have been a bad friend to you. I should have watched my health, but because I didn't, our sleepover was ruined."

Sakuno freaked out by the sincerity. And the fact Amatsu had addressed her by her given name without honorifics. "A-Amatsu-chan! It's fine! Mou! You're family is too generous!" She pouted, her cheeks puffing.

Sitting up again, Amatsu smiled at the auburn's expression. "My family? Generous? I think you are wasting good compliments." She sighed resignedly. She went back on her main objective, sober. "Sakuno, the reason I wanted to have a private conversation with you is because I have something very important to ask you. Depending on your answer, many explanations would be needed. So will you hear me out?"

Sakuno was indeed all ears. She nodded.

Amatsu took a deep breath, voice cool and clear. "Sakuno, this summer and winter, would you like to enroll to my Academy to train? You will miss some school days, but with your obaa-san's consent, I think you could join study hall or something. It's a total of three weeks each course and you will live in dorms. It's very expensive, but I am willing to pay a large percentage to allow registration." Amatsu crossed to her nightstand and took out a packet from the drawer, handing it to the speechless Sakuno.

Still quiet, Sakuno skimmed through the packet. Eyes widened at the cost and rules and ratings.

"Amatsu-chan, this-" Sakuno couldn't find the right words. Amatsu was hopeful, standing her ground. "This is amazing. Everything seems so...educated."

"Very large and worth lots of money," Amatsu voiced the auburn's real thoughts by reading her casted expression. "Sakuno, I must warn you, the Tennis Society, it's very enduring. The training and techniques are very diverse and much more of a higher-level than here in Tokyo. Your world of tennis will change if you enroll into the Society."

"By techniques," said the auburn softly, "you mean like the 'power shots' you and Katen-kun keep doing?"

Nodding, Amatsu pursed her lips, debating how to explain. "We were downplaying our full potential, though. We made a pact not to reveal the secrets of the Society much, and yet we broke that rule."

"I could see that," agreed Sakuno in a small voice. How many times have Amatsu and her friends surprised Seigaku? They were on a whole other level.

"You have potential, too," Amatsu encouraged gently. "But you're not pressing yourself to develop. Why?"

Sakuno shifted uneasily in her seat. Her delicate fingers tightened around the packet. "I-I-um..." Sakuno looked kind of depressed. "I did at first, learning how to play. I had realized...I was trying to impress other people. My obaa-chan, Tomo-chan, and Ryoma-kun, too. I thought I never had to be better than I already was as long as I was with them. I loved watching at the sidelines during Ryoma-kun's matches. I loved having my obaa-chan be proud at me for taking an interest in something _she_ loved." Sakuno looked down at her hands in her lap. "I fell in love with tennis, just as it was. I was...content."

"Sakuno," the said girl looked up cautiously to meet Amatsu's bold eyes, collected and inquiring. "Did you fell in love of tennis because you had a passion for it? Or was it because the people associated with it?"

Sakuno blinked, not asked herself that before. It was true...many people she loved as friends and family all revolved around tennis...but maybe she found herself caught in the net, too. As a tennis coach's granddaughter, Sakuno felt the need to connect with the sport.

"You are more than that, Sakuno," reasoned the sapphire-eyed girl. "You don't need to be something else and stopped there. Look at your strong points. You have great vision, you rationalize, a sharp intuition, your understanding. Your body might not be equipped with power or speed, but work with you already have and start there."

Sakuno blushed at that superior praise. "Y-You really think so?"

Amatsu nodded resolutely. "Hai. I _know_ you have talent in tennis. You just have to find it. The same thing happened to me."

Sakuno jumped from her seat to glomp her friend. "Arigato, Amatsu-chan!"

Amatsu laughed, patting the girl's back comfortably. "Your welcome, Saku-chan."

"Oh, Amatsu-chan?"

"Hm?"

Sakuno pulled away from the hug to stare at Amatsu. "Your otou-san said you quit tennis before. What happened?"

Immediately, a frown etched Amatsu's full lips. "I-. I'll tell you another time. Right now, I think it's time you meant my friends."

"Friends? Now?" Sakuno was confused. Were they going somewhere?

Amatsu saw the auburn's cute confusion and grinned, standing off from the futon. She stepped towards her desk with her laptop. "It's time for a video chat."

* * *

><p><strong>Done and done. I'm sorry for such a late and filler-like chapter. It's needed for plot, that's that. I had so much of my time taken from me and my head wouldn't fight off the writer's block I had for two weeks. I hope I'm not missing anything important. Arigato for any alerts, reviews, favorites, hits, and messages. So ja! If you review, I'll give you a tennis ball with your favorite PoT character sketched personally by Sakuno. (Wink, wink.) <strong>


	12. Chapter 11: Amatsu's Best Friends

**Disclaimer: I am so late, I'd forgotten what my usual disclaimers look like. I think it goes along the lines of 'I own Bleach or Prince of Tennis is a big no no. Even using the background of Mario Tennis Power Tour is not allowed'.**

**So if anyone was wondering why I hadn't updated in a little over a month or two is because I had a major roadblock in my brain, ironic since I don't drive so I don't know how annoying a roadblock is. I had some of the chapter plotted, but not entirely written out. It's hard to write from scratch without inspiration. Especially when you wrote your story in front size 8 with around the same number of pages. I envy people who write 50,00 words in a week with fancy grammar and vocab. T-T I don't really have someone to discuss the plot about this story because they don't know about Bleach or PoT together. It's easy as one two three for me, but saying is easier than writing. You must be getting really bored with my explanation. Let's cut to the chase.**

**This chapter continues from the previous and might be boring with so much information (for yours and Sakuno's sake), and may be shorter than what I had intended it to be. This is more of a dialogue chappie and might seem...straight to the point. Sorry for any mistakes.**

Chapter 11

Amatsu's Best Friends...Meets The Best Friend

Saying Sakuno was nervous was a lie, she was _frightened_, so frighten, the chill coursed deep into her bones, her slight feminine body rattling in tremors. Her nerves had went on a fritz as her friend, Amatsu, readied her laptop, grabbing it off the desk and retreating back to the futon bed beside the auburn. The sapphire-eyed girl crossed her toned legs and settled her laptop on her legs like a substitute desk.

"Calm down Saku-chan," chided Amatsu, "and don't nibbled on your nails."

Sakuno listened, instead of biting her nails, she fidgeted, her hands knotting at the hem of her shirt, squirming in her seat on the futon. She tried concentrating the fresh floral smell of Amatsu (they _were_ in the girl's room) and thought how to present herself...that might go downhill.

Amatsu turned on her laptop, let it boot up, and typed in her password. She took the time to frown at her jittery friend. "Would you stop fidgeting? It's _okay_. No one is going to bite you - it's impossible seeing how this is a video chat."

Sakuno bit her bottom lip worriedly. "Do your friends-"

"-speak Japanese? Yes," answered Amatsu knowingly. "Sometimes we speak in English, but not tonight."

"Okay," said Sakuno in a small voice, understanding how her presence was being recognized. "Are they...?" She didn't know how to articulate her question without sounding rude.

"They're nice - well, most of them. I'll get them to introduce themselves," assured Amatsu simply, her fingers pushed some buttons on the keyboard and she inputted her e-mail, password, and a little box pops up in the corner niche of the screen, imitating the images of them. Amatsu readjusted the position of the laptop so the camera could capture Sakuno better. The auburn felt uncomfortable, like modeling for a bunch of strangers.

Amatsu checked the time on her alarm clock perched on her nightstand. "Hm...I think they should be on in about..."

Sakuno heard beeping sounds and knew Amatsu's friends were arriving one by one.

_Sign in: James, Paula._

_Sign in: Nakamura, Kyoko._

_Sign in: Johnson, Whisker._

_Sign in: Hirogawa, Skipper._

Amatsu redirected the window boxed so each person had a little space to occupy. Instead of smiling dreamily, like how the auburn had been getting used to, the sapphire-eyed girl's new smile was dazzling.

"Hey guys!" she crowed happily, the glowing after effects of her sickness wearing off. Her vivid eyes were bright with brilliance.

Sakuno silently observed the four people on screen. A bright pink-haired girl with slim shoulders and round, speculative eyes...a brawny blond guy that reminded her of Kawamura-senpai...a doll-like brown-haired girl wearing pink bows that rivaled on the scale of delicateness with her...and a boy with untamable curly hair, tanned skin, and big lips. Only two of them could pass off as asian descent. The muscular blond male and sweet brunette were definitely foreign.

"Amatsu!" the ample small-faced brunette cried in relief. "You're better! I was so worried!"

"We all were," slipped in the curly-haired boy.

"Thanks for your concern," Amatsu said, smiling dryly. "A fever was nothing, but I think my parents want me to cut off training for a few days."

"You should watch your health, Amatsu," chastised the first girl. "We don't want you to collapse again." Her tone was teasing, making Amatsu blush at some embarrassing memory that she and her friends only knew of. Sakuno was at a lost.

The pink-haired girl was peering at Sakuno's quiet form. "Who's that?"

"Oh!" Amatsu gave Sakuno a one-arm hug, the auburn squeaking in surprise. She was right, her impression was not as subtle as ever. "This is Ryuzaki Sakuno! The girl I'd told you about! You should introduce yourselves so she won't feel like a third wheel."

The pink-haired girl held her chin up. "Nakamura Kyoko."

The brunette gave a lovely smile. "Paula. Paula James. It's nice to finally meet you."

"I'm Whisker Johnson," greeted the bulky blond.

"Good evening," said the other boy politely, "I'm Hirogawa Skipper."

Sakuno ducked her head bashfully. "N-Nice to m-meet you." She had to remember that Paula and Whisker didn't say their names eastern style. But at least their Japanese was tolerable, better than most.

"So _she's_ the one you want to recruit, Amatsu," stated Paula, not missing a beat.

Amatsu nodded. "Yup. She's has potential, don't you think so?"

Four pairs of eyes surveyed Sakuno from what they could see - from head to shoulders. Sakuno flushed, feeling hot at her neck from the daggering audience. Good thing she had Amatsu for support.

"She reminds me of Paula," remarked Whisker. "Does she do any defensive tactics or developed in physical training?"

"Nope," Amatsu said, "total opposite of Paula."

"What?" inquired Sakuno, glancing sideways at her friend.

"Paula is a defensive player," explained Amatsu. "Despite looking like a fancy little doll, she can pack a punch - or a power shot."

Paula winked playfully. "I think playing a match against you wouldn't be a good thing. You're lucky I won't."

Sakuno sweatdropped. "Y-Yeah. I'll remember that."

"What kind of player are you?" asked Skipper interestedly, leaning forward expectantly.

"Baseliner," replied the auburn slowly. "And I prefer doubles. I-I don't do so well alone."

"She's a really good doubles player. She'd teamed up with me and we'd beat Katen and Talim!" Amatsu boasted like a proud mother.

"_Really?_" four people gasped incredulously. "That's impressive," Paula commented wholeheartedly. Sakuno blushed cherry-red. These people were too modest, although she sensed Kyoko was a dubious type of person who took matters more personally. The latter was cocking a queer brow at Sakuno.

"You probably evolve if you came to the Academy," said Skipper. "Lots of people think they're pros until they come into the Society. We _make_ pros. You come out different then when you came in. All of us know it." There was an unison of amiable nods.

"I had never really considered tennis as an important aspect of my life until I'd started training here," admitted Paula. "It's changed my whole perspective about tennis or any other sport out there. You should see for yourself."

"That's why I wanted Sakuno to learn about our own opinions," interceded Amatsu. "Tell her as a person who loves tennis, that it is a good thing to find your own style. Sakuno's afraid to commit."

Kyoko scoffed lightly. "Commit? It's more like marriage, especially when you have a partner. You need to find a middle ground and build a bond from there. Things like communication and trust are important, don't think you can change your partner all the time - which is kind of hard since the Society keeps all registers even."

Sakuno said in a small voice, "Amatsu mentioned about having a mandatory partner. Did you'd ever pick your partners?"

"No," chorused Skipper and Kyoko unhesitatingly.

Paula and Whisker smiled at each other on screen. "Paula and I are childhood friends," Whisker said. "We got along as friends, but during the first few months, our teamwork was a struggle. We each had different playing styles and our minds weren't...clicking together." He smacked his hands together as emphasis.

"But eventually, we'd started to train more together and learned each other's moves," equipped Paula. "Then before we knew it, we were in varsity. We're usually ranked." She sounded proud under the lines of being truthful.

"Ranks and classes are important, yes?" Sakuno wanted to confirm.

More nods. "Amounts of ranks depend on the population," said Paula logically. "And they're are three classes from lowest to highest: Junior, Senior, and Varsity. The average age range is about twelve to eighteen."

"I'm encouraging Sakuno to take summer and winter camp," Amatsu said. "I plan to train her beforehand."

"You should," agreed Skipper. "If you don't, you might _pass out_." He pointedly rolled his eyes at the disgruntled Amatsu. Sakuno wanted to giggle at her friend's discomfort.

"Can we please stop with the wisecracks?" complained Amatsu like an irritated child. "I _know_. I'm watching my health!"

"Are not," her friends bantered in unison. It was a wonder how they did that. Sakuno's gaze flitted back and forth from Amatsu's red-cheeked face to the screen of resolved tennis players. She smiled at the warm scene.

"You guys worry about my health and not how I beat you all like that?" Amatsu snapped her fingers to show her quick point.

Kyoko puffed her cheeks irritably. "Dammit. I'm still in Senior class. One day, _one day_ I'll beat Roy and Emi and move up."

Speak of the devil.

_Sign in: Abarai, Emi._

"Hello, my dears," greeted the pretty magenta-haired girl, her sleek hair tied in a high ponytail. "What did I miss? I was out with Roy and whatnot."

Kyoko frowned at the latest addition to the chat. Whisker and Skipper were unsettle in their seats, and Paula sighed exasperatedly. Amatsu, her eyes widened.

"Emi!" she gasped. How did Emi always pop out suddenly without warning and act all prim and proper? She would have made a magnificent magician.

"Hey, Amatsu-kun!" Emi cheered. "I see _you're_ better. I guess we can hold off sending you a big 'get well soon' card." She winked blithely.

Suspicious, Amatsu glanced at Paula questionably. "I remember only texting _you_ about being sick. And I know Katen, Talim, Eni, and Esa would never rat me out - well, maybe Talim. And how did almost _everyone_ know?"

Paula looked innocent. "I may have been a little _too_ worried. Whisker and Tori found out first, then Emi and Alex... then _I_ heard _Ace_ heard the news too..."

Amatsu blanched, eyes widening in realization - or dread. Her mind was thinking a bunch of muddled questions.

_Is Ace worried? Why didn't he contact me? Was he too busy not to?_

"Eh? Amatsu-chan?" Sakuno waved her hand in front of the girl's face. Amatsu blinked from her stupor.

"Who's the cutie?" wondered Emi, referring to Sakuno. "She looks like a combination of Paula and Tori."

"Yeah!" agreed Whisker, seeing the similarities. Long reddish-brown hair, an exquisite heart-shaped face, doleful eyes...

Miffed by the comment about this 'Ace' person, Amatsu spoke up more dejectedly but was always modest wording, "Saku-chan is Saku-chan. Emi, meet Ryuzaki Sakuno, daughter of a tennis coach and my first friend in Tokyo."

"Then maybe _you_ could me me some details about my imouto," Emi said, slightly grinning. "Have Talim and Kay-kun become an item _yet_?"

"Talim and...Katen-kun?" Sakuno had to filter those nicknames and references in her mind. "Oh! Iie, they're not...dating."

Emi frowned defeatedly. "Drat."

"Shouldn't you be worried about your own BF?" Paula inquired liltingly. Kyoko's forehead creased, shooting a frown at Emi.

Emi huffed graciously. "Roy and I are _partners_."

"It didn't seem like 'partners' with your little walk in the afternoon," hinted Paula.

"Or when you two argued yesterday," added Skipper.

"Minna!" whined Amatsu. "Can we please revert back to the main issue here? I thought we were explaining some stuff to Sakuno! She wants to learn, not watch a drama enfold."

Sakuno had to agree with Amatsu's point of view but was too polite not to interrupt the conversation. But she smiled gently. Amatsu and her friends...they were like family, like close knitted siblings.

"Oh, how rude of us!" Paula exclaimed, hand over her mouth.

"Gomen," Emi said, bowing her head apologetically. "It's nice to meet the new edition to our group."

"Ano...I didn't sign up yet," Sakuno said.

Emi smiled charmingly. "But you will," she said suggestively.

Sakuno couldn't argue with all the winning smiles surrounding her. She only said, "Hai."

"Does Sakuno have a partner to apply with?" Whisker asked.

Both Amatsu and Sakuno shake their heads. "No," said the disdain sapphire-eyed girl. "Looks like Sakuno will be partnering up with some random loner."

Skipper shrugged offhandedly. "Doesn't matter. Doubles Island Open isn't until winter. You'll have plenty of time to train and bond with your partner if you two apply again."

"Yeah," agreed Whisker. "Besides, you'll be all fascinated by the Academy grounds. We're replacing a bit of equipment we've had for over two or so years. And we're re-painting and re-organizing before summer camp starts. We have tons of tennis courts and the training center...it's mind-blowing. We have all kinds of stuff, but nothing dramatic like Empire or Factory."

For some irrelevant reason, Amatsu snickered behind her hand discreetly, her head sideways, pretending she was clearing her throat.

Sakuno pursed her lips considerably. "Do I - will I be able to learn those...power shots you guys do?"

A stiff pause.

"Maybe," Kyoko mused, eying the auburn debatingly.

Emi tilted her head speculatively, hand on chin. "Are you flexible by any chance?" she asked Sakuno.

"Girls are more flexible than boys," slipped in Paula.

"I meant dramatically flexible, like you can do flips," clarified the older beauty.

Sakuno shook her head. "Iie. I'm alright but I can't compete with Talim-chan. She's amazing."

Emi smirked. "Just wait until you see me on court. I may not me over-the-top like my imouto, but I can kick butt. _I'm_ the one who'd influenced Talim anyway."

"Or you may end up like me and Paula," offered Skipper genuinely. "We have the same power shots, but we use it differently based on our...strength and accuracy."

"I don't have a power shot yet," murmured Kyoko. "Just save shots. It's hard to find one then perfect it."

"Perfect a power shot?" inquired Sakuno.

"Like any move or technique," explained Amatsu patiently, "you must perfect it to be executed perfectly when used. It's what we call a Perfect shot, or the opposite, an Imperfect Shot. When you perfect your shot, you can use it no matter what the situation demands. But when the shot is performed at average skill, than it's imperfect."

"Oh," Sakuno realized, bobbing her head.

"Don't worry about it, though," assured Emi. "Amatsu will train you some basics, and then you'll have the summer camp to figure out your strengths and embrace your techniques. I bet by then, you'll be a top notch tennis player by winter."

"I agree with Emi," said Paula. "Anything is possible when you try."

"Then I'll train my best," promised Sakuno, bowing her head gratefully. "Arigato, minna-san. You have given me great insight."

"Your welcome," some chorused as Emi chuckled, "You should be thanking Amatsu-kun."

"Ja," Amatsu said, waving her hand in farewell. Her friends voiced their goodbyes and logged off the same time as Amatsu. Amatsu closed the lid of her laptop.

Sakuno was in a dazed, excited state. Amatsu's friends...they were so..._inviting_. They reminded her of Tomoka and Talim, how they were spoken for and friendly but with their own quirks. They..._encouraged_ her to be herself. Sakuno was finding herself wanting to prove her worth, but in a different manner: by being _her_.

"Oh, arigato, Amatsu-chan," said Sakuno, then more brightly, "I'm so happy you're my friend!" She hugged her friend exuberantly around her shoulders. Amatsu patted her back.

"You're welcome, Saku-chan," Amatsu said with a sisterly smile. "I am glad, too."

* * *

><p>A little past sunset, Sakuno had to depart for home.<p>

Amatsu watched as Hisagi drove the car away from the manor...with Sakuno. The sedan's image began to narrow as it advanced down the dirt road. The auburn had packed her belongings and repeatedly thanked Amatsu's family for they wonderful stay. Amatsu reminded Sakuno briefly about tomorrow's start of training that didn't involve the Seigaku team. Sakuno had listened to her newfound schedule and couldn't wait to train with Amatsu exclusively. Sakuno would make sure to immediately ask her grandmother about the admission into the Tennis Society.

When she re-entered her home, Amatsu closed the door, have being the only figure out on the porch. Her family had dispersed again.

That reminded her...she had some unfinished business to attend to...

* * *

><p>Rukia and Ichigo were conversing within the vicinity of the dojo. Rukia was leaning against the wall as Ichigo was cross-legged on the planked floor. Despite how casually they talked, they anticipated the storm that was approaching. It was a hurricane. A hurricane that might as well be named Amatsu.<p>

_BAM!_ Amatsu had furiously slammed aside the door and stomped in, her sapphire eyes blazing in fury, her serenic face now scowling much like her parents.

Ichigo stood up slowly as Rukia shrugged away from the wall, one brow raised questionably.

Sapphire eyes flashed dangerously at Ichigo, each step light and soundless. It kinda freaked him out.

"_You,_" growled Amatsu through clenched teeth, pointing one daggering finger at her stressed father, "you had a match with _Katen_?"

Ichigo held up his hands warily. "I'd thought it was a good idea...Katen was kinda bored and so was I..."

"I demand a match right now!" shrieked Amatsu.

Staring her down, Ichigo shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea, Ichisuke. You might lapse back into a fever."

Barely having time to react, Ichigo had time to side-step before his daughter charged at him with a fleeting punch. He caught her wrist. "Whoa, kid. Calm down!"

"Amatsu..." warned Rukia from her spot, unmoved.

Amatsu's logic was tampered as the blood rushing to her ears blocked out sound, and her body moved on instinct, wanting to _do something_. She jerked back her captive wrist and spun, her leg swinging out. Ichigo had to raise two hands to deflect the attack and hold his daughter's leg in place.

"Amatsu!" protested Ichigo. "Don't get hot-headed! I'm worried about you! Stop being irrational!"

Amatsu definitely heard that because she _blushed._

Balanced on one foot, Amatsu wheeled into another spin, but instead, locked her ankles around her father's forearm, and faced the ground to position herself into a handstand. The momentum lurched Ichigo forward as Amatsu had to bend backward.

Silently, Rukia watched as her daughter threw her husband across the room. She sighed forlornly, rubbing her forehead in vexation.

Shaking off his startled nerves, Ichigo got up. He saw his daughter in front of him, lips quavering, red-cheeked, hands balled into fists, arms rigid at her sides. Her eyes weren't as daring as before, but full of angry tears.

When was the last time Ichigo had seen his daughter so vulnerable? She looked like a toddler needing a hug when she lost her precious teddy bear.

Finally, when Amatsu regained her senses, _and_ her reasoning, she went wide-eyed, blushing from embarrassment, her blood surfacing even at her neck, and being pale was not helping.

Amatsu breathed raggedly. "I-I- " She blinked the stars from her vision. "I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!"

And with that loud exclamation, Amatsu hastily stormed out the room in the same fashion she came in.

Ichigo stood up, brushing off his pants, muttering, "Man. Can't that kid just understand...?"

Rukia stepped forward, pursing her lips. "She has a lot to deal with, Ichigo. You're presence didn't exactly, give the right influence."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "What is Amatsu working on now? If this has something to do with Byakuya..."

Rukia shook her head, and said softly, "Just give her some space. Besides, she's helping her friends with some...movement. It might take a while to proceed."

Ichigo scratched his head cluelessly. "I sure miss a lot around here."

**Like I had mentioned, I'm so sorry for the short and lame chapter. My plot for this is easy, but writing each part is becoming frustrating. I'm sorry if I'd missed anything crucial. I need some help or suggestions or reviews...**


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